The UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has said that his country would send back refugees to France under a new pilot scheme after recent discussions with the French President, Emmanuel Macron. Starmer said, under a “one in, one out deal, some migrants would be returned to France in exchange for the UK also accepting the same number of asylum seekers, subject to security checks. During a joint press conference at the end of a three-day state visit of the French president, Starmer said the plan would show that attempts to cross the English Channel in small boats would “be in vain.”
He said that the “groundbreaking” plan would help “break the model” of the smugglers' illegal migrants and would be ramped up if it was successful. Starmer, while sharing the figures, said more than 170,000 immigrants have arrived in the UK in small boats. The numbers this year have reached record levels, as more than 20,000 have arrived in the first six months of 2025.
Meanwhile, the French president said the scheme may have a “deterrent effect” beyond the number returned. He said the referendum “Brexit” was a mistake and added that the British people were sold lies. Europe was a part of the problem, which it wasn’t.” Besides Brexit and immigrant issues, both countries have decided to coordinate on nuclear deterrents, meaning they would jointly mobilise their resources in case of an attack.
Additionally, they also said the two nations would strengthen collaboration on supercomputers and AI, "speed up and accelerate" cooperation on anti-ship missiles. Macron said the two countries would "intensify joint action" in the countries of origin and transit, which means France and the UK will deport the immigrants either directly to their native countries or to the transit point.
Since 2011, the refugee crisis has seen an unprecedented surge, especially from war-torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, and Ukraine. While the West is actively involved in these conflicts, the refugee crisis has become a major sticking point in Western democracies, especially after the recent surge of right-wing political parties.
Also Read: Trump teases a major announcement on Russia on Monday
Follow us
