The UK has announced that it will begin implementing the UK-France migrant returns deal within days, following the ratification of the related treaty. The agreement is a key part of Britain’s strategy to tackle irregular migration, especially by reducing the number of people arriving in small boats.
Under the new agreement, France has agreed to accept the return of individuals who arrive in the UK on small boats without valid documentation. In exchange, the UK has committed to accepting an equal number of legal asylum seekers with family ties in Britain.
The deal was finalised during French President Emmanuel Macron’s official visit to the UK in early July. The two governments signed the “final text” last week, and the European Commission has given the green light to what it described as “an innovative approach” to deter irregular migration, according to a statement from the UK Home Office on Monday.
Since the start of 2025, more than 25,000 people have arrived in the UK via small boats. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to “dismantle the smuggling gangs” behind these crossings as part of efforts to reduce arrivals.
Starmer, whose popularity has declined since winning last year’s election, faces mounting pressure from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party—which is currently ahead in the polls—to stop the flow of small boats altogether.
In recent weeks, protests have taken place in parts of England outside hotels hosting asylum seekers who arrived by boat. These demonstrations have drawn both pro- and anti-migration groups.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said via X that the new bilateral agreement “clearly aims” to break up human trafficking networks. However, UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has not specified how many individuals will be returned under the scheme.
“The numbers will start low and then increase,” Cooper said today in an interview with Sky News. She added that returns would involve people who had just arrived in the UK, not those already in the country.
Government sources have indicated that the agreement will see approximately 50 returns per week—around 2,600 annually—a relatively small portion of the over 35,000 arrivals recorded last year.
Critics argue that the proposed figures are too low to have a meaningful deterrent effect. However, Cooper maintained that the agreement with France is only one part of the government’s broader plan to address irregular migration.
Feature photo source: BBC
Source: CNA
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