Sir Keir Starmer has hailed a new deal with France to send small boats migrants back across the English Channel as a "breakthrough moment" that will "turn the tables" on people smugglers. The Prime Minister announced the agreement alongside French President Emmanuel Macron during his state visit to the UK, marking the first time migrants arriving by small boat will be detained and returned to France.
Under the one-in, one-out arrangement, for each small boat migrant returned to France, an asylum seeker will be allowed to enter the UK through a legal route. The scheme represents a significant shift in approach, though reports from France suggest the pilot could initially cover around 50 people per week - a fraction of this year's weekly average of 782 crossings.
Limited numbers in pilot scheme
Numbers are expected to grow during the pilot period depending on operational factors. Some 21,117 migrants have made the crossing in 2025 according to latest Home Office figures, a record for this point in the year.
More attempted the journey on Thursday as the UK and French leaders met to announce the deal. Starmer said there was "no silver bullet" but the united effort represented "new tactics and a new level of intent" to tackle people smuggling.
Legal route applications online
Those in France will be able to express interest in applying for UK asylum through an online platform before completing standard visa applications and checks. Priority will go to people from countries where they are most likely to be granted asylum as genuine refugees, those most likely to be exploited by smuggling gangs, and asylum seekers with UK connections.
Officials have not clarified the criteria for deciding which small boat migrants will be sent back to France, but the pilot will start with adults. Their removal is expected on grounds of inadmissibility because they arrived from a safe country, though they can challenge decisions in exceptional circumstances.
Crackdown on illegal working
Starmer also promised a nationwide crackdown on illegal working to counter one of the UK's pull factors for migrants. The Government plans a major blitz targeting illegal working hotspots, focusing on the gig economy and migrants working as delivery riders.
"The jobs promised to migrants by traffickers will no longer exist because of the nationwide crackdown we're delivering on illegal working, which is on a completely unprecedented scale," the Prime Minister said. The move follows Macron's warnings about "pull factors" luring people to northern France hoping to reach the UK.
Macron criticises Brexit impact
Macron said the deal was part of a "collaborative, cooperative and comprehensive plan" beginning with work in migrants' countries of origin. The French President argued that voters were "sold a lie" on Brexit and its ability to fight illegal immigration more effectively.
He claimed Brexit left the UK without a returns agreement with the EU, creating "an incentive to make the crossing, the precise opposite of what Brexit had promised". The comments highlighted ongoing tensions over post-Brexit migration arrangements.
Opposition condemns agreement
Reform UK's Nigel Farage, who spent the day on a boat in the English Channel watching migrants cross, called the agreement "a humiliation for Brexit Britain". He said: "We have acted today as an EU member and bowed down to an arrogant French president."
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp (Conservative) claimed the deal "will only return one in every 17 illegal immigrants arriving". He argued that "allowing 94% of illegal immigrants to stay will make no difference whatsoever and have no deterrent effect", calling it "the latest catastrophic example that when Labour negotiates, the UK loses".
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
