UK and France seal ‘one in, one out' deal to return migrants arriving on boats
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Under the pilot programme announced on Thursday by Starmer, the UK will return a number of cross-channel migrants each week to France, with Britain accepting the same number of asylum seekers from France who have connections to the UK.
While the British prime minister did not state the scale of the plan, he also did not push back against reports that it will initially cover about 50 returns a week when asked about its scope.
With record numbers of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats this year – more than 21,000 have done so through to this week – Starmer is under pressure to rein in the numbers.
The aim is for the deal with France to begin to make a dent on that – and crucially it will serve as a deterrent to those seeking to make the crossing. It is the first time France has agreed to take back small boat migrants since their numbers started increasing in 2018.
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'For the very first time, migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order,' Starmer said, speaking alongside Macron at the end of the French president's three-day state visit to the UK, during which the two leaders have also discussed nuclear cooperation, defence agreements and their support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
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