The streets of Biarritz ran hot with tear gas and fury last night. French riot police, outnumbered and outflanked, deployed water cannon against anti-G7 demonstrators. Fifteen arrests. Five officers injured. Now, Whitehall sources confirm that British police are quietly sharing tactical notes with their French counterparts. The reason? The G7 comes to the UK next year.
This is classic political choreography. Downing Street knows the script. Protests are inevitable. The question is whether they spiral into the chaos seen in Paris during the gilets jaunes era. Home Office mandarins have been watching the footage from Biarritz with cold eyes. They are already gaming out the UK summit.
What are they sharing? A source close to the National Police Chiefs' Council told me it's 'operational learning.' Translation: what works and what doesn't when you have 10,000 angry people trying to breach a perimeter. French police used a tactic known as 'kettling'—holding crowds in a confined space—which proved effective but drew accusations of heavy-handedness. British police have their own version, refined during the 2011 London riots and later climate protests.
The timing is deliberate. The UK is still two years out from hosting the G7, but planning is already underway. The Home Secretary has asked for contingency plans. The Met Police are liaising with regional forces to ensure mutual aid is available. And crucially, the intelligence services are mapping activist networks.
Behind the scenes, there is nervousness. The UK's counter-terrorism apparatus is stretched. The G7 will require thousands of officers. This will pull resources from other duties. Local police chiefs are grumbling about the cost. But No.10 is insistent: the summit must be seen as a success.
What happened in Biarritz is a warning. The protesters there were a mix of genuine climate activists, anarchists, and professional troublemakers. The UK can expect the same. The difference? British police have a long history of managing public order with relative restraint. But the pressure is mounting. A senior officer told me, 'We can't afford a repeat of the 2009 G20 protests, where one man died.'
The leak of this tactical cooperation is itself a political move. It serves notice to potential demonstrators: we are ready. It also reassures the French that the UK is a reliable partner. But for those of us who watch this game closely, it signals something else. The government is worried.
Downing Street will deny any concern. They will talk about robust planning and a proud tradition of peaceful protest. But the sharing of riot-control tactics tells a different story. The UK is preparing for a storm. And in the world of high-stakes political events, preparation is everything.
The question now is whether the summit turns into a PR disaster or a carefully managed display of British resolve. The answer lies in the coming months, as more details of the planning emerge. For now, Whitehall is playing its cards close to its chest. But the game is already in motion.
