G20 summit© PA WireRishi Sunak could not say when the number of migrants crossing the Channel to the UK would reduce despite the Government agreeing a fresh multimillion-pound deal with France.The Prime Minister came under fire from critics, as well as some of his own MPs, amid concerns the latest agreement falls short of what is needed to curb the crisis.

The revised pact, worth around £63 million (72 million euros) in 2022/23, is a hike of about eight to nine million pounds a year from a similar pledge signed in 2021.It comes as the number of people arriving on the south coast after making the journey topped 40,000 for the year so far, with crossings continuing on Monday.Under the latest commitment, the number of French officers patrolling beaches on the country’s northern coastline is expected to rise from 200 to 300 within the next five months.For the first time, British officers will be stationed in French control rooms and on the approaches to beaches to observe operations in a bid to better understand the threat at hand and inform deployments.Other measures signed off earlier in Paris by Home Secretary Suella Braverman and the French interior minister Gerald Darmanin, which will “begin with immediate effect”, include drones and night vision equipment to help officers detect crossings, as well as other efforts to step up surveillance.

The Prime Minister hailed the move as part of his efforts to “grip illegal migration” and insisted he was “confident” numbers would come down over time – but declined to guarantee they would fall next year.