Germany has promised to change its laws to crack down on people-smuggling gangs helping migrants cross the English Channel into the UK, but no legislation has been passed yet. The commitment was announced during German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s first official visit to London, where he signed a wide-ranging agreement with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Although Berlin agreed in December under the previous government to tighten laws, current German legislation still does not criminalise facilitating illegal migration to non-EU countries like the UK.

As it stands, German authorities lack clear powers to act against smugglers targeting Britain.

Downing Street said the legal changes will be made before the end of the year. “Chancellor Merz’s commitment to make necessary changes to German law to disrupt the supply lines of the dangerous vessels which carry illegal migrants across the Channel is hugely welcome,” said Starmer.

The UK government believes the move will make it easier for German police to investigate and shut down operations, including warehouses used to store small boats and engines that are later transported to the French coast for Channel crossings.

A BBC investigation last year exposed Germany as a key transit point for smuggling equipment used in illegal crossings, with traffickers using the country to organise supplies.

The new UK-Germany agreement covers several other areas, including business, defence, and support for Ukraine. On defence, the two leaders unveiled plans for joint campaigns to export co-produced military equipment like Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets.

Downing Street said the move could bring in billions of pounds in defence export revenues and support new jobs.

On business, a new UK-Germany Business Forum will be created to boost investment between the two countries. During the visit, commercial deals worth more than £200 million were announced, with more than 600 new jobs expected.

Among the firms involved is STARK, a German defence tech company that will open its first UK facility in Swindon, creating 100 jobs.

Back home, Starmer continues to face mounting pressure over the rising number of Channel crossings. So far this year, over 21,000 people have arrived in the UK by small boat — a 56 percent rise compared to the same period last year.

The new German commitment follows the UK’s recent “one in, one out” pilot scheme with France, under which the UK would return some small boat arrivals to France in exchange for taking in an equal number of asylum seekers who have ties to Britain.

Conservatives have criticised the Labour government’s approach to border control, with shadow home secretary Chris Philp saying: “This is just more of the same tired, headline-chasing from Keir Starmer. He’s scrambling to stay relevant with yet another gimmick, but this latest press release is not a plan but a distraction.”

He added: “The crisis in the Channel continues to spiral. This government has clearly lost control of our borders and left the country exposed when they cancelled our returns deterrent.”