The UK and France have agreed on a new pilot scheme allowing some migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats to be returned to France – a move UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hopes will signal a stricter stance on illegal migration.
Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the plan Thursday during Macron’s state visit to London.
Although limited in scope, UK officials hailed the deal as a breakthrough and said it sets a precedent that allows migrants arriving illegally to be sent back across the Channel.
"There is no silver bullet here, but with a united effort, new tactics and a new level of intent, we can finally turn the tables,'' Starmer told reporters at a news conference.
“For the very first time, migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order.”
Under the “one in, one out” arrangement, the UK will return a number of Channel-crossing migrants to France and, in turn, return an equal number of asylum seekers deemed to have legitimate claims.
The plan is expected to launch within weeks and is designed to deter dangerous crossings, which have become a potent political issue in the UK. More than 21,000 people arrived in the country this year, a 56% increase from the same period in 2024.
French media says it would involve returning up to 50 small boat arrivals to France each week. If successful, the trial is expected to be significantly ramped up.
Macron stated that the agreement was intended to have a deterrent effect. “I’m totally committed to make it work, because this is clearly our willingness and our common interest,” he said.
The pilot scheme is part of a broader effort to rebuild Franco-British relations after years of strained ties post-Brexit.
Potential challenges include the extent to which the UK is willing to invest in policing small boats, possible legal challenges in France, and opposition from other European nations.
Discussions on halting irregular migration across the Channel date back decades. In the early 2000s, efforts focused on preventing stowaways from entering the UK through the Channel Tunnel in vehicles. Recently, smugglers have increasingly turned to sea routes.
“You see that pattern again and again, where smuggling gangs and migrants try to find new ways to cross from France to the UK,” said Mihnea Cuibus, a researcher at the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory.
“The authorities crack down on that, and then gradually you see migrants and gangs try to adapt to that. And it becomes a bit of a game of cat and mouse.”
The previous Conservative government’s controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda was scrapped by Starmer shortly after he took office in July 2024.
