British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced tougher migration controls on July 10 in London. They also announced that a peacekeeping force for Ukraine was ready for deployment, following any ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
The UK will begin returning migrants arriving in small boats to France within weeks under a new pilot scheme, Starmer said, reported BBC. Under the “one in, one out” deal, some arrivals would be returned to France and in exchange the UK would accept an equivalent number of asylum seekers with British family connections, subject to security checks.
Speaking alongside Macron at the end of a three-day state visit, the Prime Minister said the plan would show that attempts to cross the Channel in small boats would “be in vain”. Starmer, who has seen his popularity fall since winning an election landslide last year, is working to address high levels of immigration, including asylum seekers arriving by small boats across the Channel from France, to try to stem the rise of the populist Reform UK party, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, reported Reuters.
“For the very first time, migrants arriving in small boats will be detained and returned to France in short order,” Starmer said, standing alongside Macron. “This will show others trying to make the same journey that it will be in vain.” The Home Secretary has said the new “one in, one out” migrant scheme is “robust” enough to withstand potential legal challenges, according to BBC.
Yvette Cooper said she had been in close contact with European governments which have expressed concerns about the deal, saying that the European Union had been “very supportive and helpful”. It was unclear, however, whether the agreement would have a big impact. In a joint declaration, it cited the need for the deal to get “prior legal scrutiny in full transparency and understanding with the Commission and EU member states” – something that could potentially take some time.
Reuters quoting a government source said they were looking at about 50 returns a week, or 2,600 a year, a fraction of the more than 35,000 arrivals reported by the government last year. Another source said the scheme could be scaled up.
More than 21,000 people have arrived on small boats so far in 2025, a record number for this stage of the year.
Fabian Hamilton, a lawmaker in Starmer’s Labour Party, said he was “sceptical that this is the answer”.
