Emmanuel Macron blamed Brexit for a rise in the number of small boats crossing the Channel, as he and Sir Keir Starmer announced a new “one in, one out” deal to return migrants.
In a joint press conference with the Prime Minister on Thursday, the French president said the British people had been “sold a lie” that leaving the EU would “make it possible to fight more effectively against illegal immigration”.
Pointing to the fact that the UK had “no migratory deal” with the EU after Brexit, Mr Macron said: “It creates an incentive to make the crossing, the precise opposite of what Brexit had promised.”
His comments came at the end of a three-day state visit, during which he and Sir Keir agreed a landmark deal to return people arriving in the UK via small boats in exchange for people still in France who had a connection to Britain.
Mr Macron also hailed previous success in preventing illegal crossings of the Channel by road and rail prior to Brexit.
He said: “Let’s recall a few years ago, it was the subject of daily comments. We managed to fully close off these routes.”
Boat crossings have increased sharply since Britain formally left the EU, rising from 1,843 people making the journey in 2019 to 28,526 in 2021 and 45,774 in 2022.
So far this year, 21,117 people have made the crossing, with more arriving on Thursday as 2025 looks set to be a record year for arrivals.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage spent Thursday in the Channel observing small boats crossing from France.
This agreement is a humiliation for Brexit Britain. We have acted today as an EU member and bowed down to an arrogant French President.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) July 10, 2025
During his joint press conference with Mr Macron, Sir Keir appeared to mock Mr Farage, saying it was “of some significance” that “whilst we have been working hard to get the returns agreement, others have been simply taking pictures of the problem”.
The announcement of the deal brought an angry response from Mr Farage, who had already attacked Mr Macron in the House of Commons chamber on Wednesday as “arrogant” and “anti-Brexit”.
The Reform leader wrote on social media: “This agreement is a humiliation for Brexit Britain.
“We have acted today as an EU member and bowed down to an arrogant French President.”
