UK and France Agree to Send Back Small Boats Migrants

Strategic Insights -

The UK and France have announced a new plan to send back small boats migrants, with an asylum seeker being sent to the UK in exchange. The pilot scheme, which will begin within weeks, aims to tackle the migrant crisis in the English Channel. Under the scheme, people arriving on a small boat can be detained and returned to France for the first time. The agreement was made during French President Emmanuel Macron's three-day state visit to the UK.

Key Takeaways:

  • The pilot scheme will return up to 50 migrants a week, a small fraction of the 21,117 migrants who have crossed the English Channel so far this year.
  • The UK will take in an asylum seeker in exchange for every small boat migrant sent back to France.
  • The scheme will have a "deterrent effect" beyond the numbers actually returned, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
  • The UK and France have agreed to work together to tackle the migrant crisis, with a focus on safe routes and strict security checks.
  • The Prime Minister has promised a nationwide crackdown on illegal working, with a focus on jobs promised to migrants who have arrived in the UK through small boats.
  • The agreement has been met with criticism from opposition politicians, with Reform UK's Nigel Farage calling it a "humiliation for Brexit Britain".

Statistics:

  • 21,117 migrants have crossed the English Channel so far this year (Source: [Dan Kitwood/PA Wire])
  • 50 migrants a week will be returned under the pilot scheme (Source: [Dan Kitwood/PA Wire])
  • 94% of illegal immigrants will be allowed to stay under the Labour deal (Source: [Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp])
  • The UK will take in an asylum seeker in exchange for every small boat migrant sent back to France (Source: [Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer])

Sources:

  • Dan Kitwood/PA Wire