Latest news with #AngloFrenchSummit
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
The countries most migrants will come from under Starmer's deal
Migrants from Africa and Afghanistan are likely to have the best chance of being chosen to come to the UK under the 'one in, one out' returns deal agreed with France. The scheme, announced at the end of this week's Anglo-French summit, allows for the UK to send Channel migrants back to France in return for France sending an equivalent number of asylum seekers to the UK. Any migrant in France will be eligible to apply to come to the UK under the legal, safe route but the Home Office has set three criteria, which will allow officials to identify those who will be successful in their application. Those to be prioritised will be from nationalities with the highest numbers crossing the Channel, those from countries with the highest success rates in gaining asylum in the UK, and those with connections to the UK, including family members already here. On that basis, Home Office data show that in the past year, Afghans have been the largest nationality among small boat migrants, with 5,766 crossing the Channel. They were followed by Syrians, with 4,368, although the fall of president Bashar Assad's regime has reduced the number fleeing the country. Eritrea was the third highest, with 4,229, and the numbers from the east African nation have been increasing, putting it at the top in the first three months of this year. They were followed by Iran, Sudan, Vietnam, Iraq, Turkey and Yemen. Yemenis had the highest asylum success rate over the year to April – with 94 per cent of all decisions allowing the applicant to stay. Yemen, where conflict between the Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led coalition is ongoing, was followed by Sudan (90.1 per cent) – mired in its own civil war since 2023; Libya (86.3 per cent); Myanmar (82.5 per cent); South Sudan (81.7 per cent); and Palestine (80.1 per cent). As for claims coming from small boat arrivals specifically, where a particular nationality was assigned, Yemenis also had the highest grant rate (96.5 per cent), followed by Sudanese (94.3 per cent) and Palestinians (94.3 per cent). Having family ties in the UK is the primary reason given by asylum seekers for continuing their journey to the UK, covering over 50 per cent of cases. By country of birth, India (896,000), Poland (682,000), and Pakistan (456,000) made up the largest diasporas in the UK at the time of the latest census. Some 47,000 people born in Afghanistan were recorded at that time, the 43rd most common foreign origin. The 38,000 Syrians make up the 50th-largest group, while the 30,000 from Eritrea put them 60th. Going by nationality, Polish was the most common, with just under 700,000 Poles in the UK as of June 2021. Just 28,000 Syrians, 18,000 Afghans, and 12,000 Eritreans were also tallied. The application process will be open to any nationality in France via an online platform. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has refused to say how many migrants will be exchanged under the pilot. French sources have previously suggested the pilot will involve up to 50 migrants a week being returned to France, equivalent to 2,600 in a year, or just one in 17 of the 44,000 who have crossed since Labour won the election. Under the deal agreed at this week's summit, small boat migrants from France will be denied asylum and detained under powers introduced by the Tories, which enable their claims to be declared inadmissible because they have arrived from a 'safe' country. They will then be returned to France 'as soon as possible'.
Sky News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Starmer and Macron agree 'one in, one out' small boat migrants return deal
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have agreed a pilot "one in, one out" scheme for migrants who cross the Channel in small boats. On the third and final day of the Anglo-French summit in the UK, the British prime minister and French president announced a trial of the scheme that will allow small boat migrants to be sent back to France. In return, Britain would accept the same number of asylum seekers - who try to come to the UK by a safe route - as those who are returned to France. Speaking next to Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir Starmer said it would come into force in a matter of "weeks". He says: "Migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order. "In exchange for every return, a different individual will be allowed to come here via a safe route - controlled and legal - subject to strict security checks, and only open to those who have not tried to enter the UK illegally." Sir Kier said this is a "pilot", with reports suggesting that just 50 people per week will be sent to France back across the Channel. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
Telegraph
08-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Macron blames Starmer for migrant crisis
Emmanuel Macron is demanding that Sir Keir Starmer make Britain less appealing to Channel migrants to secure a ' one in, one out deal '. The French president believes the UK bears the blame for record numbers of small boats crossing the Channel and has three key demands to reduce its 'pull factors'. Mr Macron, who arrived in Britain on Tuesday for the first state visit by a European head of state since Brexit, was due to announce the new agreement with the Prime Minister at an Anglo-French summit on Thursday. A deal with Paris would allow Britain to legally return illegal Channel migrants to France for the first time since Brexit. But Sir Keir is scrambling to rescue the pact after five EU member states bearing the brunt of European arrivals raised concerns that a deal would see them forced to take more migrants. The Telegraph understands that Mr Macron wants Sir Keir to crack down on the UK's black market for labour and welfare payments and make family reunification for genuine asylum seekers easier as conditions for the deal. An Elysée source warned that Mr Macron expected measures 'addressing the root causes of the factors that attract people to the United Kingdom', adding: 'These causes must also be addressed by the British.' They added that France would be willing to discuss ways to stop more small boats leaving its shores during the Anglo-French summit on Thursday. Mr Macron's allies have said the ease in which migrants can get under-the-table employment means Britain is viewed as 'an El Dorado' – a city of riches, where it is easy to work. The demands emerged as Mr Macron enjoyed a day rich with pomp and pageantry during a visit celebrating what the Elysée called a 'pragmatic rapprochement'. After being greeted at RAF Northolt by the Prince and Princess of Wales and treated to a royal procession, he addressed Parliament before the King hosted a state banquet in his honour in Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening. Starmer must address 'pull factors' In Westminster in the afternoon, Mr Macron went public with his concerns, telling an audience including Sir Keir that the British Government would have to address 'pull factors' to drive down migrant numbers. Channel crossings have hit a record high this year with 20,600 migrants so far, the highest since the first arrivals in 2018. Mr Macron said that a third of migrants entering the EU's Schengen area illegally were aiming for the UK as their final destination. He said: 'France and the United Kingdom have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness.' The president added: 'We will only arrive at a lasting and effective solution with action at the European level [...] as well as addressing migration pull factors. 'But let's be clear we will deliver together, as this is a clear issue for our countries.' He also warned that French and British societies risk 'growing apart' and that Brexit was a 'regrettable' decision, although he said he respected it. Mr Macron is making three demands to Sir Keir to get their 'one in, one out' deal over the line in time for Thursday. The French president wants to make it harder for illegal immigrants to work in Britain. While asylum seekers are not allowed to work legally, the French view is there are not enough controls to prevent them from doing so. The gig economy and delivery drivers are seen as areas that can be easily exploited, and Britain does not have European-style ID cards. Mr Macron also sees benefits for migrants successfully granted asylum as another pull factor attracting migrants to Britain and another root cause that should be addressed. Legal routes for genuine asylum seekers His third demand centres on the number of small boat migrants trying to reach their families who are already in the UK. Mr Macron wants Britain to accept one genuine asylum seeker from France who wants to rejoin a family member in Britain for each illegal migrant France takes back. It is thought migrants will be less incentivised to make the dangerous crossing if they have a legal route into Britain. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has already prioritised a crackdown on illegal foreign workers and a blitz on delivery drivers, announced last week, in an attempt to counter criticism of the UK as a 'soft touch'. Raids on companies suspected of employing illegal workers passed 10,000 in the past year, a 48 per cent rise and fines for doing so have tripled to £60,000. In May, a Telegraph investigation revealed that asylum seekers housed in Home Office hotels are paying off people smuggler debts by illegally working as food delivery riders. Meanwhile, a new law will make it a legal requirement for all companies, including the gig economy, to check workers are legal. Plans are being drawn up to throw small boats migrants working illegally out of taxpayer-funded hotels and widen European-style digital IDs for overseas citizens. The King addressed the small boats crisis on Tuesday night at the state banquet, saying: 'Our security services and police will go further still to protect us against the profound challenges of terrorism, organised crime, cyber-attacks and irregular migration across the English Channel.' He added that there are no borders between Britain and France in the nations' joint quest to solve 'complex threats'. Earlier in the day, the King was seen deep in conversation with the French leader, with whom he shares a good relationship, during a carriage ride through Windsor. The King also kissed the hand of Brigitte Macron, the president's wife. More than 950 servicemen and women from all three armed services, and 70 horses, took part in the ceremonial welcome, from troops lining the carriage procession route to a guard of honour featuring guardsmen from two of the British Army's oldest regiments the Grenadier Guards and Scots Guards. Later in the evening, the state dinner at Windsor Castle saw the Princess of Wales attend her first evening banquet since November 2023, before her cancer diagnosis. She and Mr Macron were among guests who enjoyed a Franco-British menu created by Raymond Blanc at which the King raised a toast to the French in a speech peppered with jokes. Speaking partly in French, the King said: 'The summit that you and the Prime Minister will hold in London this week will deepen our alliance and broaden our partnership still further.' Addressing the French president as well as Sir Mick Jagger and Sir Elton John, he joked: 'We would not be neighbours if we did not have our differences' with 'amicable competition and occasionally even, dare I say, confusion' across cultures.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
France and UK expected to announce joint plan on small boat crossings
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce plans for French police to do more to block small boats crossing the Channel at a summit in London this week, but a wider deal on returning asylum seekers is still up in the air. While details remain limited, with French officials believed to be still finalising what action the country can take with boats that are already in shallow waters, an announcement is expected on Wednesday. It is also still possible that Starmer and the visiting French president could set out plans for a 'one in, one out' returns scheme for asylum seekers who make it to Britain, although UK officials say this is less likely. This scheme would allow for the return of small boat arrivals in exchange for the UK accepting another asylum seeker from France who is thought to have a clearer right to claim asylum in Britain, such as through family ties. Macron arrives on Tuesday for a state visit that will involve events with royals and other pageantry but is also scheduled to include an Anglo-French summit and other meetings with Starmer. France is expected to announce it will allow police to intervene in shallow waters up to 300 metres from shore in order to stop small boats leaving. It would help prevent 'taxi-boats', which pick people up in the water rather than launching from the beach with passengers on board. This will require changes to existing protocol that do not contravene the UN convention on the law of the sea, which bars any intervention at sea that is not an actual rescue. Maritime authorities have been asked to draw up proposals to 'advance' French protocol on interceptions to allow such interventions to take place 'while still respecting the UN convention on the law of the sea'. It is understood that a French review of such tactics has been completed, with French and British officials continuing talks about what more could be done. On Friday, French police used knives to puncture a boat in shallow seas near Boulogne, in northern France, although it is not known if this was a sign of new protocols or a one-off. Downing Street declined to comment on possible announcements before the visit, although Starmer's deputy spokesperson indicated that there was likely to be concrete progress on small boat crossings. He told reporters: 'We expect to make progress on a wide range of issues and joint priorities, and that includes migration. I'm not going to get ahead of the summit this week, but there are a range of maritime tactics that we have been discussing and have secured agreement with the French over. 'It is operationally and legally complicated, but we expect these tactics to be operationalised soon. 'It's for French authorities to make operational decisions for themselves, but as I say, it's a complex area, but we are working extremely closely with the French. Our relationship with them is better than it has been for a long time.' The hope of the 'one in, one out plan', in combination with a greater likelihood of boats being stopped in the water, is that people could be dissuaded from paying people-smugglers to try to get them across the faces sustained political pressure to reduce the number of people arriving across the Channel. Despite a government promise to 'smash the gangs' that organise the crossings, more than 20,000 people have crossed to the UK in the first six months of this year, up 48% on the equivalent period in 2024.
The Sun
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
King Charles calls for stronger UK-France alliance amid rising Channel crossings and challenges that ‘know no borders'
KING Charles today warns Britain cannot be a fortress despite 'complex threats' and challenges that 'know no borders'. His message comes ahead of an Anglo-French summit on the small boat crisis. 2 Charles, 76, will urge closer partnership with France in a state banquet speech tonight at Windsor Castle with President Emmanuel Macron. President Macron will fly in today for his state visit while dinghy crossings are high on the agenda — with more than 21,000 people arriving across the Channel so far this year. Speaking at the banquet in St George's Hall, the King will tell President Macon and other VIPs: 'Our two countries face a multitude of complex threats, emanating from multiple directions. "As friends and allies, we face them together. "These challenges know no borders: no fortress can protect us against them this time.' It is understood the King will address challenges of defence, technology and climate change — and say Britain and France can help lead the way in confronting them. It will follow a day of pomp and ceremony including a carriage ride through Windsor and ceremonial welcome at the castle. Meanwhile, a one in, one out migrant agreement with France has still not been finalised and talks are expected to go down to the wire, it has emerged. The proposal would involve France agree to take back a small boat migrant in return for Britain accepting one of its arrivals. But No10 yesterday insisted it expected new French tactics of puncturing small boats with knives in shallow waters to be 'operationalised soon' as standard practice. French cops SLASH small boat & drag it to shore as conveniently placed BBC crew film scene 2
