Sir Keir Starmer is racing to salvage a key migrant returns agreement with France just days before Emmanuel Macron’s high profile state visit to the UK, amid growing EU unease over the proposed arrangement.
The one in, one out deal would see France agree to take back migrants who cross the Channel illegally in small boats, in exchange for the UK accepting a similar number of asylum seekers currently in France. The proposal was meant to serve as the centrepiece of an Anglo-French summit on Thursday, focused on tackling the surge in small boat crossings.
However, senior government sources admitted on Monday night that the deal remains complex and in the balance, with negotiations still ongoing.
The uncertainty comes as the UK prepares to host Mr Macron, who will be welcomed with a state banquet at Windsor Castle and the first of King Charles III’s reign.
Concerns from other European Union nations have cast a shadow over the planned agreement. In a joint letter, Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus expressed alarm that the bilateral arrangement could increase the burden on southern EU states by setting a precedent for deporting migrants to their countries of first entry under the existing Dublin Regulation.
“We take note with a degree of surprise of the reported intention of France to sign a bilateral readmission arrangement,” the letter stated. The five nations called for urgent clarification, warning of both procedural concerns and potential consequences for other EU member states.
Brussels has intervened, seeking assurances from both Paris and London that the proposed deal complies with EU law. A European Commission spokesman confirmed: “We are in contact with the French and the UK authorities to ensure the necessary clarifications are made.”
France had been expected to publicly back the deal last week, but postponed its announcement following the Commission’s request. With talks still labelled a work in progress, it remains uncertain whether a final agreement can be reached before Thursday’s summit.
Critics have already begun to pile pressure on Starmer. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the Prime Minister of risking yet another diplomatic setback. “If he can’t even get a scheme where we pay the French half a billion pounds to wave the boats off from Calais, what hope do we have?” he said. “Unless all those arriving by small boat are sent back to France, we won’t stop the crossings.”
Nonetheless, some progress is expected. Starmer and Macron are poised to confirm a new maritime cooperation protocol that will, for the first time, permit elite French border police to intercept migrant boats at sea,something previously avoided due to maritime safety concerns. New tactics already being tested include disabling dinghies close to shore by puncturing their rubber hulls.
The state visit itself will feature symbolic moments of unity, with Mr Macron delivering a speech in the Royal Gallery of the Palace of Westminster and meeting opposition leaders at Lancaster House. On Wednesday, he and his wife Brigitte will join Sir Keir and Lady Starmer for lunch at Downing Street ahead of the UK-France summit.
Whether the controversial migrant returns deal can be finalised in time remains an open question one that could shape the tone and success of this landmark diplomatic occasion.
