Latest news with #crossings
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
More than 500 migrants arrived in Britain on day of Starmer's deal
More than 500 small boat migrants arrived in Britain on the day Sir Keir Starmer signed his 'one in, one out' deal with Emmanuel Macron. The figures are a fresh blow to the Labour leader and the number of crossings over the year so far to 21,690, which is more than a 50 per cent higher than 2024. An estimated 573 people crossed yesterday in ten boats, which suggests an average of around 57 people per boat. Unveiling the plan alongside Mr Macron last night, Sir Keir claimed it was 'ground-breaking' and would 'prove the concept that if you come over by small boats, then you will be returned to France '. But as the Anglo-French summit was being held, hundreds more migrants were crossing the Channel from northern France. Border experts said the proposals were 'scratching a very bare minimum of the surface'. Leaks had suggested 50 migrants a week, around one in 17 arrivals, would be sent back to France initially. But that was seemingly not signed off by the leaders. Touring broadcast studios this morning, Ms Cooper said: 'The numbers are not fixed, even for this pilot phase that we are starting now. 'So this will be a programme that we roll out step-by-step, and we will provide updates as we go. 'But we are going to do this in a steady way.' Despite signs EU states could object to the UK-France deal, Ms Cooper told LBC she was confident Brussels would let it go ahead. 'We have been talking to the EU commissioners. We've also been talking to other European interior ministers and governments throughout this process,' she said. 'The French interior minister and I have been speaking about this to develop this since October of last year, and the EU commissioners have been very supportive. 'So that is why we have designed this in a way to work, not just for the UK and France, but in order to fit with all their concerns as well.' She added: 'Because we've done that work all the way through, we do expect the EU Commission to continue to be supportive.' Ms Cooper also played down Mr Macron's jibe that Brexit had made tackling illegal immigration harder, arguing people smugglers would 'weaponise anything'. Downing Street said the UK is 'confident' the agreement complies with both domestic and international law and has discussed the plans with Brussels. The PM's spokesman said: 'We've done a lot of work to make sure the system is robust to legal challenges, and of course, France is a safe country and a member of the ECHR. 'We're confident that this arrangement complies with both domestic and international law, and clearly… we've discussed these arrangements already with the (European) Commission.' Sir Keir is holding talks with his Cabinet at an 'away day' at Chequers, his grace-and-favour Chequers country estate. Sir Keir said the governments were taking 'hard-headed, aggressive action'. 'For the very first time, migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order,' he said. 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.' But the PM failed to say how quickly migrants will be sent back in total or on a weekly basis when the scheme launches, which he said would be in the 'coming weeks'. Mr Macron said the deal needed legal ratification first, without putting a time frame on it. Critics have derided the concept of a 'migrant merry go round'. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the deal with France is a 'gimmick' which will be 'no deterrent whatsoever'. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'What they announced yesterday is a gimmick, just like 'smash the gangs' was a gimmick as well. 'And the reason it's a gimmick is the numbers will be tiny. 'It's been reported it will be only 50 a week, something the Prime Minister didn't contradict when it was put to him yesterday. 'Now 50 a week only represents 6% of people crossing the Channel, which means that 94% under this new scheme proposed, 94% will be allowed to stay and quite clearly, allowing 94% of illegal immigrants to stay in the UK will be no deterrent whatsoever.'
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Macron turns to politics on second day of UK state visit
French President Emmanuel Macron promised to cut the number of migrant crossings yesterday. (AP pic) WINDSOR : French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Britain turned to politics today as London was expected to press Paris for new measures to curb undocumented immigration. The ever-rising number of migrants arriving on England's southern coast by small boat from northern France has become a major political headache for Labour prime minister Keir Starmer. He is expected to push the French leader to do more to stop the crossings when the two leaders meet over lunch at the prime minister's 10 Downing Street residence. London hopes to strike a 'one in, one out' deal to send small boat migrants back to the continent, in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link, the domestic PA news agency reported. In parliament Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party – currently riding high in the polls – challenged Starmer to 'say to the French president we will not accept undocumented males across the English Channel'. There has been mounting frustration in the UK over funding for France to prevent migrants setting off and a law that prevents police intercepting migrant boats while in the water close to shore. 'We will only provide funding that delivers for our priorities,' Starmer told parliament, adding that the UK had persuaded the French 'to review their laws and tactics on the north coast to take more effective action'. 'I'll be discussing this at meetings with president Macron,' he added. 'Burden' After he took power a year ago, Starmer promised to 'smash the gangs' getting thousands of migrants onto the small boats, only to see numbers rise to record levels. More than 21,000 migrants have crossed from northern France to southeast England in rudimentary vessels this year as the far-right soars in popularity. In a speech to parliament yesterday, Macron promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, describing the issue as a 'burden' to both countries. He said France and the UK had a 'shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness'. The talks at Downing Street come after a first day dominated by pomp and a warm welcome from King Charles III and members of the royal family. Yesterday's royal welcome from King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla included a horse-drawn carriage procession, a 41-gun salute and a sumptuous banquet at Windsor Castle, west of London, for the president and his wife Brigitte. 'Entente amicale' The Macrons began the second day of their visit by paying their respects at the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor's St George's Chapel. Macron then discussed biodiversity issues with the king during a stroll in the castle grounds before he bade farewell to his host and headed to central London. This is the first state visit by a French president to Britain since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008 and the first by a European Union head of state since Brexit in 2020. After Britain's acrimonious departure from the European Union, the two countries smoothed post-Brexit tensions in 2023 during a state visit by the famously Francophile king and a summit with prime minister Rishi Sunak in France. At the state banquet in Macron's honour, Charles toasted a new UK-France 'entente… no longer just cordiale, but now amicale', prompting Macron to laud 'this entente amicale that unites our two fraternal peoples in an unwavering alliance'. This morning, Macron also met entrepreneurs and scientists working on artificial intelligence at Imperial College London. Later, he will visit the British Museum to formally announce the loan of the famous Bayeux Tapestry depicting the 1066 Norman conquest of England. This evening Macron will meet with the business community at a dinner held in his honour at the Guildhall, a historic building in the City of London, the capital's financial district, with 650 guests in attendance.
Times
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Keir Starmer to push Macron for last-minute migrant return deal
Sir Keir Starmer will urge President Macron to agree a 'one in, one out' migrant returns deal on Tuesday, despite warnings that announcing it before it is ready will lead to a surge in crossings. The prime minister is pressing for the deal as the centrepiece of a new agreement between Britain and France that the two leaders will sign at an Anglo-French summit on Thursday. The arrangement would allow Britain to return small boat migrants to France in exchange for accepting asylum seekers with a family connection in the UK. However, British and French officials are yet to finalise the details as the French president's three-day state visit begins on Tuesday. The UK government is also in last ditch talks with the European Commission to overcome opposition from a group of five Mediterranean countries who fear a bilateral deal between Britain and France would add to pressure at their own borders.
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Ministers ‘have to work harder' to bring down small boat numbers
Ministers are going to 'have to work harder' to bring down small boat crossings, a member of Sir Keir Starmer's Cabinet has said amid record numbers in the first half of this year. Pat McFadden told LBC 'everyone in Government knows it's a big challenge', as the tally for 2025 nears 20,000, but he declined to give an assurance that the figures would be down by this time next year. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said: 'We are going to have to work harder to bring the numbers down. 'Everyone in Government knows it's a big challenge, and as a team we are determined to meet it.' Pressed specifically on whether the numbers would be down by this time next year, Mr McFadden said: 'I'm not going to make a prediction.' Asked again for an assurance that the numbers will reduce, he added: 'I can give you an assurance that the numbers at the moment are too high. We are working together to tackle this.' Figures released on Tuesday confirmed a record number of crossings for the first half of the year. Some 19,982 migrants had arrived in the UK after making the dangerous crossing by the end of June, latest Home Office figures show. The total is 48% higher than the figure for the first six months of 2024, which was 13,489, and 75% above the equivalent figure for 2023, which was 11,433. Some 879 migrants made the journey in 13 boats on Monday, the third highest number of arrivals on a single day so far this year. Data collection on the Channel crossings began in 2018. The figures also come as the UK's borders watchdog David Bolt said in June he did not feel 'very optimistic about the ability to smash the gangs', adding that with organised crime 'the best thing you can do is deflect it to something else you're less concerned about rather than expect to eradicate it'.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ministers ‘have to work harder' to bring down small boat numbers
Ministers are going to 'have to work harder' to bring down small boat crossings, a member of Sir Keir Starmer's Cabinet has said amid record numbers in the first half of this year. Pat McFadden told LBC 'everyone in Government knows it's a big challenge', as the tally for 2025 nears 20,000, but he declined to give an assurance that the figures would be down by this time next year. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said: 'We are going to have to work harder to bring the numbers down. 'Everyone in Government knows it's a big challenge, and as a team we are determined to meet it.' Pressed specifically on whether the numbers would be down by this time next year, Mr McFadden said: 'I'm not going to make a prediction.' Asked again for an assurance that the numbers will reduce, he added: 'I can give you an assurance that the numbers at the moment are too high. We are working together to tackle this.' Figures released on Tuesday confirmed a record number of crossings for the first half of the year. Some 19,982 migrants had arrived in the UK after making the dangerous crossing by the end of June, latest Home Office figures show. The total is 48% higher than the figure for the first six months of 2024, which was 13,489, and 75% above the equivalent figure for 2023, which was 11,433. Some 879 migrants made the journey in 13 boats on Monday, the third highest number of arrivals on a single day so far this year. Data collection on the Channel crossings began in 2018. The figures also come as the UK's borders watchdog David Bolt said in June he did not feel 'very optimistic about the ability to smash the gangs', adding that with organised crime 'the best thing you can do is deflect it to something else you're less concerned about rather than expect to eradicate it'.
