Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a new agreement with France to return migrants who arrive in the UK via small boats, in what he described as a 'groundbreaking' pilot scheme. The plan, unveiled alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at the Northwood military base, will see British officials detain some Channel crossers and send them back to France, in exchange for taking in asylum seekers from France who have family ties in the UK.
Under the 'one in, one out' pilot, those who cross the Channel will have their biometrics collected at Manston immigration centre, and suitable individuals will be detained and returned. The scheme also includes a safe and controlled route for asylum seekers in France who have not attempted to enter the UK illegally. Starmer stated that 'for the very first time, migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order.'
President Macron welcomed the deal but blamed Brexit for the rise in illegal crossings, saying that 'the British people were sold a lie' about migration. He noted that since Brexit, the UK has no illegal migration agreement with the EU, which he argued creates an incentive for crossings. Macron stressed the need for a deterrent effect to discourage smugglers, and said he wants to secure agreement from other European countries, including Spain, Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus, before implementing the deal further.
The pilot is expected to begin in the coming weeks, though its scale and timing remain uncertain. Starmer declined to confirm reports that only around 50 people per week would be returned, but insisted the agreement would show others that crossing the Channel 'will be in vain.' He also defended the concept of safe routes for genuine asylum seekers, emphasising that the UK cannot solve the migration challenge alone.
