Britain is preparing to activate a new agreement with France aimed at curbing illegal migration across the English Channel, with the first returns of migrants arriving on small boats set to begin within days.
The plan will go into effect after the ratification of a treaty scheduled for Tuesday.
The bilateral deal will see France receive back undocumented individuals who arrive in Britain via small boats.
In return, the UK will accept a matching number of legitimate asylum seekers who have family ties in Britain, a framework Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron recently unveiled as a “one in, one out” pilot initiative.
So far in 2025, over 25,000 migrants have made the journey across the Channel in small boats.
In response, Starmer has vowed to “smash the gangs” responsible for smuggling people into the country, a key promise amid mounting political pressure.
The prime minister, who won a landslide election victory last year but has seen a drop in approval ratings, is being challenged by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which currently tops national opinion polls.
Their central critique has focused on the government’s handling of small boat arrivals.
In recent weeks, tensions have escalated across parts of England, with demonstrations erupting outside hotels where some asylum seekers are housed.
These gatherings have drawn both anti-immigration and pro-immigration demonstrators.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau highlighted the purpose of the pact in a post on X, stating the new Franco-British deal has a “clear objective” to dismantle human trafficking operations.
However, UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper declined to specify how many individuals would be affected by the scheme.
“The numbers will start lower and then build up,” Cooper told Sky News on Tuesday. She clarified that the returns would apply to recent arrivals by small boats, not individuals already residing in the UK.
Government insiders have indicated the program could involve returning approximately 50 people each week, totaling around 2,600 annually.
That remains a small proportion compared to the more than 35,000 Channel arrivals logged last year.
Some critics argue that the limited scale of the initiative won’t be enough to deter migrants or disrupt smuggling networks. But Cooper emphasized that the Franco-British return agreement is only one aspect of a broader government strategy.
Alongside the deal, authorities have introduced sanctions targeting human traffickers, restricted online advertisements promoting illegal crossings, and collaborated with logistics companies to crack down on illicit employment offers used to lure migrants.
Though the treaty was officially signed last week, the British government had not previously disclosed the details before Tuesday’s ratification. According to officials, both the European Commission and EU member states have approved the implementation of the scheme.