The Home Office has extended a controversial pilot scheme aimed at deterring Channel crossings by asylum seekers in small boats, the Guardian has learned. The 'one in, one out' deal, signed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in July last year, was initially due to end on 11 June but has now been extended until 1 October.
Under the scheme, one asylum seeker arriving in the UK by small boat is forcibly returned to France in exchange for another asylum seeker in France who has not attempted to cross the Channel being brought to the UK legally. Since the deal was signed, thousands of asylum seekers have continued to cross, and smugglers have adapted by launching more vessels from Belgium and offering more expensive lorry journeys to bypass French police.
As of 28 April, 605 people have been returned to France and 581 have come to the UK under the scheme. The number of crossings so far this year has fallen by about a third compared with the same period last year, though this is partly attributed to weather conditions.
Asylum seekers expressed dismay at the extension. One returned to France said: 'Extending this decision won’t stop refugees from coming. As we’ve seen the small boats are continuing.' Another, who was detained and later released, warned that many sent back to France have disappeared, fearing return to Bulgaria where they were fingerprinted.
Griff Ferris of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants called the scheme 'state-sanctioned human trafficking,' urging the government and airlines to end 'inhumane and racist deportations.' A Home Office spokesperson defended the scheme, stating it has contributed to returning nearly 60,000 illegal migrants since July 2024, up 31% on the prior 19 months.
