British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have reached an agreement on a pilot programme to return migrants and refugees arriving in small boats, in a scheme to curb crossings over the English Channel.
In a joint press conference on Thursday, Starmer said people arriving in the United Kingdom on small boats will “be detained and returned to France in short order”.
The British leader added that for every migrant returned, a different individual would be allowed “to come here via a safe route: controlled and legal, subject to strict security checks and only open to those who have not tried to enter the UK illegally”.
Moreover, Macron, referencing Britain’s exit from the European Union in 2020, said the decision had led to the country having less control over its border, a contrary reality to what defenders of the decision said would happen.
The announcement caps Macron’s three-day state visit to the UK, with Starmer intent on the need for a “new deterrent” to crack down on undocumented migration as support for the far-right anti-immigrant Reform UK party soars.
The policy, which is similar to a scheme used by the European Union and Turkiye, carries risks for Macron since his right-wing political critics may question why he has agreed to take back refugees and migrants wanting to live in Britain.
Sitting next to Macron at his Downing Street office ahead of Thursday’s meeting, Starmer said the situation “cannot go on as it is”.
“We’re bringing new tactics into play and a new level of intent to tackle illegal migration and break the business model of a criminal gang,” he said.
Macron said the two countries “shared the same resolve to fight against illegal criminal gangs, with strong coordination with other EU states”.
The scheme, which has led to “serious concerns” among some other European nations, could initially involve about 50 people a week, French daily Le Monde reported. That number tallies with UK media reports of 2,600 a year.
It would be scaled up later if a pilot scheme demonstrated “proof of concept”, according to The Times, quoting a UK government source.
More than 21,000 people have arrived on small boats this year – a record number. On Wednesday, Starmer’s office said he had told Macron that undocumented workers were increasingly being arrested to deter them from coming to Britain for jobs.
Ukraine and Palestine
Macron’s visit, which has been big on ceremony, including a carriage procession to Windsor Castle with King Charles and a lavish state banquet, saw the French leader discuss other thorny issues with his UK counterpart, including Gaza and Ukraine.
The leaders pledged to order more Storm Shadow cruise missiles, now used in Ukraine, and signed an agreement to deepen their nuclear cooperation, which will say for the first time that the respective deterrents of both countries can be coordinated.
Starmer and Macron will also on Thursday dial into a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” on Ukraine, a group of countries that could potentially deploy peacekeeping forces to the country.
Co-chairing the meeting, Starmer said a new “coordination hub” to act as headquarters for the group had been opened in Kyiv.
Starmer added that they were “finalising command and control structures” for the 30-nation grouping.
Moreover, during the press conference, Macron called for a joint UK-France recognition of a Palestinian state, adding that it was the “only hope for peace” in the region, as Israel’s war on Gaza, which has so far killed at least 57,762 people since October 2023, continues.
But Macron said he wanted to “initiate this political dynamic” of recognising Palestinian statehood.
