UK and France seal ‘one in, one out’ deal to return migrants arriving on boats
Asylum seekers crossing the English Channel to the UK will be exchanged for migrants with British ties that have entered France
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer reached a “one in, one out” migrant returns trial with French President Emmanuel Macron as they attempt to slash the number of people crossing the English Channel on dangerous small boats.
Under the pilot programme announced on Thursday by Starmer, the UK will return a number of cross-channel migrants each week to France, with Britain accepting the same number of asylum seekers from France who have connections to the UK.
While the British prime minister did not state the scale of the plan, he also did not push back against reports that it will initially cover about 50 returns a week when asked about its scope.
With record numbers of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats this year – more than 21,000 have done so through to this week – Starmer is under pressure to rein in the numbers.
The aim is for the deal with France to begin to make a dent on that – and crucially it will serve as a deterrent to those seeking to make the crossing. It is the first time France has agreed to take back small boat migrants since their numbers started increasing in 2018.