France, in letter to Boris Johnson, rejects joint border patrol in Channel

FILE PHOTO: French police patrol the Slack dunes, the day after 27 migrants died when their dinghy deflated as they attempted to cross the English Channel, in Wimereux, near Calais, France, November 25, 2021. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

PARIS (Reuters) -French Prime Minister Jean Castex told his British counterpart, Boris Johnson, that he rejected the idea of a joint British-French patrol in the English Channel to fight clandestine migration to Britain, a letter obtained by Reuters showed on Thursday.

"France is ready to pursue our operational cooperation with the United Kingdom", the letter said, but added: "We cannot accept ... British police or military patrol on our coast. It's a matter of our sovereignty."