The first group of Channel crossing migrants have been detained under Sir Keir Starmer’s new returns agreement with France, marking the beginning of what the Government hopes will be a deterrent to dangerous small boat journeys.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced this morning that an unnamed number of migrants who arrived at the Kent coast yesterday lunchtime are now being held at removal centres ahead of their return to France within weeks. The detentions represent the first implementation of the “one-in, one-out” treaty signed with French President Emmanuel Macron, which came into force on Tuesday.
Around 155 small boat migrants crossed the English Channel yesterday, the first day since the groundbreaking returns agreement was activated. Border Force vessel Typhoon arrived at Dover harbour just before 1.30pm with the first group picked up in the Channel.
Swift Action Promised
Under the new agreement, Britain will make referrals to France within three days of migrants arriving, with Paris given a fortnight to respond. Those detained yesterday at Western Jet Foil are expected to be among the first returned under the pilot scheme.
“Yesterday, under the terms of this groundbreaking new treaty, the first group of people to cross the Channel were detained after their arrival at Western Jet Foil and will now be held in detention until they can be returned to France,” Cooper stated.
The Home Secretary added that this action “sends a message to every migrant currently thinking of paying organised crime gangs to go to the UK that they will be risking their lives and throwing away their money if they get into a small boat.
“No one should be making this illegal and dangerous journey that undermines our border security and lines the pockets of the criminal gangs,” she emphasised, describing the step as marking the time to “unravel” criminal gangs and “undermine their business model”.
How the Scheme Works
The “one-in, one-out” arrangement means that for each migrant returned to France, Britain will accept one asylum seeker from France who can demonstrate a legitimate family connection to the UK. The pilot scheme is set to run until June 2026, with both countries committed to reviewing and improving the process throughout this period.
Any adult migrant crossing the Channel illegally can now be detained immediately on arrival and returned to France if their asylum claim is considered inadmissible. Immigration Enforcement has set aside dedicated space at Immigration Removal Centres, whilst Border Force has developed an operational strategy to identify and process groups for removal.
Those wanting to come to the UK legally from France will be able to submit an Expression of Interest application online. They must satisfactorily establish their identity and nationality and undergo strict security and eligibility checks. Crucially, anyone who arrives by small boat and is returned to France will be permanently barred from the legal route.
Cooper confirmed: “We are on track to do what no other Government has done since this crisis first started – sending small boat arrivals back to France and strengthening our borders through the Plan for Change.
Political and Diplomatic Victory
The treaty represents a significant diplomatic achievement for Starmer’s Government after years of failed attempts by previous administrations to secure French cooperation on returns. The Prime Minister hailed it as the “product of months of grown-up diplomacy delivering real results for British people”.
When announcing the deal last month alongside Macron, Starmer described it as a “breakthrough moment” that would “turn the tables” on people smugglers. The agreement followed Macron’s three-day state visit to the UK, during which migration was a key topic of discussion.
The Government has prepared for potential legal challenges, learning lessons from the lengthy court battles that hampered the previous Conservative government’s Rwanda scheme. Officials are ready to “robustly defend” the removals process during the initial trial phase.
To support the pilot, the Government has allocated funding for up to 300 additional National Crime Agency officers and new technology to enhance intelligence-gathering on smuggling gangs. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill will also introduce new offences, with anyone advertising small boat crossings on social media facing up to five years in prison.
European Concerns and Opposition
The scheme has not been without controversy. Five southern European nations – Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta and Cyprus – expressed “serious concerns” about the arrangement in a letter to the European Commission, fearing migrants could be redirected to them through France.
French officials have also voiced scepticism, with some worrying France could become a “return hub” for migrants the UK refuses. One unnamed French official involved in the talks told Le Monde: “We are putting ourselves into the hands of the British without minimal reciprocal elements”.
Despite these concerns, the EU Commission, Germany and other partners have given the green light to the innovative approach. The French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau signed the final text alongside Cooper last week, cementing the agreement.
Rising Numbers and Political Pressure
The implementation comes as Channel crossings reach record levels. More than 21,000 migrants have crossed so far this year – a 56 per cent increase from the same period in 2024 and the highest figure ever recorded at this point in the calendar year.
This surge has intensified political pressure on Starmer’s Labour government, particularly with the hard-right Reform UK party gaining support by focusing on immigration issues. The Prime Minister has made tackling small boat crossings a central pledge of his administration.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the scheme as “weak and ineffective”, claiming it would only return “one in every 17 illegal immigrants arriving”. He argued that “allowing 94 per cent of illegal immigrants to stay will make no difference whatsoever and have no deterrent effect.
The Conservative opposition has called for a return to their Rwanda deportation plan, which they claim would have seen “100 per cent of illegal migrants removed”. However, that scheme faced years of legal challenges and never resulted in any deportations before being scrapped by Labour.
Monitoring and Future Expansion
Both the UK and France have committed to closely monitoring the scheme’s effectiveness. Initial reports suggest around 50 migrants per week could be returned under the arrangement, though this represents only a fraction of total arrivals.
The Government hopes the deterrent effect will be more significant than the raw numbers suggest. By demonstrating that illegal arrival no longer guarantees the ability to remain in the UK, officials believe the message will spread through smuggling networks and reduce attempted crossings.
As the first detainees await their return to France, all eyes will be on whether this “groundbreaking” pilot can succeed where previous attempts have failed in stemming the flow of dangerous Channel crossings.
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Image Credit:
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- Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets President Emmanuel Macron (29 August 2024, Paris) – Description: Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets President Emmanuel Macron (53956389020).jpg, depicting the bilateral meeting at the Élysée Palace in Paris on 29 August 2024 at 11:21. Photo by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, Crown copyright, licensed under the United Kingdom Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL 3.0), originally posted on the official Number 10 Flickr feed and later transferred to Wikimedia Commons
