Starmer’s migrant crisis 1-for-1 deal with France comes into force | Politics | News

Sir Keir Starmer’s “one in, one out” migrant returns deal with France will come into effect on Tuesday, with the first detentions expected before the end of the week. However, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip as accused of “failing to get a grip” on the ongoing migration crisis.

The agreement, now ratified by the European Commission, allows the UK to send back migrants who cross the Channel in small boats, in return for a matching number of asylum seekers with family or other ties to Britain. Those arriving illegally by boat will face immediate detention under the new powers. The Home Office has prepared space in immigration removal centres ahead of the rollout, with enforcement set to begin in the coming days.

Sir Keir said the agreement would “send a clear message — if you come here illegally on a small boat, you will face being sent back to France.”

However, the scheme is already under fire. The pilot phase will initially return just 50 people per week, compared with more than 800 weekly arrivals so far in 2025. Ministers have not confirmed how many removals the deal will deliver in total but say that number will rise if the pilot proves successful.

Critics, including refugee groups and opposition parties, argue the limited scale will have little impact and are calling for more safe and legal migration routes instead.

Under the terms of the agreement, announced during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit in July, migrants whose asylum claims are deemed inadmissible will be sent back to France — provided they have not already made a previous attempt to cross. In return, a new legal pathway will allow the same number of people to enter the UK, subject to documentation and security checks.

The Home Office said the arrangement is intended to disrupt organised crime gangs and reduce crossings, which have surged in recent months. A spokesperson said: “We’ve learned from the legal obstacles that stalled the previous Rwanda plan. We will robustly defend this agreement in court.”

The pilot scheme is the first formal returns deal with France and will run until June 2026, pending a longer-term replacement. The government views it as a key part of its broader immigration crackdown.

Sir Keir hailed the deal as the product of “months of grown-up diplomacy” and said it marked a clear break from the “gimmicks and broken promises” of the previous government. He said: “We will restore order to our borders with the seriousness and competence the British people deserve.”

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it would undercut the core claim made by smugglers — that those who arrive illegally will not be returned. “This deal directly undermines that narrative and hits the gangs where it hurts.”

The timing comes as pressure mounts on both the UK and France to bring crossings under control. 2025 is already on track to be a record-breaking year for illegal arrivals. According to PA analysis of Home Office figures, 25,436 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year — a 49% increase on the same point in 2024.

The scale of the issue has also raised concerns about public disorder, particularly around hotel accommodation sites. A string of protests near asylum seeker housing has prompted warnings from police and fears of a repeat of last year’s anti-migrant riots.

On Monday, the Home Office confirmed £100 million in new funding to disrupt people smuggling operations and announced fresh powers allowing authorities to seize phones and digital devices from suspects.

The government has also launched a crackdown on illegal working, aimed at cutting off so-called “pull factors” that encourage people to attempt the dangerous crossing. Meanwhile, French police have been given expanded authority to intercept boats in shallow waters before they leave French shores.

Despite this, the opposition says Labour’s approach lacks ambition. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused the government of failing to get a grip on the crisis.

He said: “This plan will return just 6% of illegal arrivals and will make no difference whatsoever. The Rwanda policy — under which 100% of illegal immigrants would have been removed — was ready to go last summer. Labour cancelled it without a real alternative.”

He added: “Only removing all illegal arrivals provides the deterrent needed to stop the boats. Labour is too weak to do that, and they’ve lost control of the borders.”

The Rwanda plan, though theoretically uncapped, was expected to remove only around 1,000 people in its first five years due to limited capacity in the East African country. Labour scrapped it as one of its first actions in office, with Starmer previously calling it a “gimmick.”