The UK has agreed to pay for the transportation of asylum seekers to and from France as part of a new “one in, one out” agreement between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The deal, published by the UK government on Tuesday, must be renewed by 11 June 2026 and can be terminated by either country with one month’s notice. It comes amid growing pressure on the UK government to curb the number of small boats crossing the Channel.
Under the agreement, for every person the UK returns to France after entering illegally, it will accept one individual currently in France whose asylum claim is more likely to succeed in Britain.
Ministers have hailed the agreement as game changing, although Home Office sources say it will initially apply to just 50 asylum seekers.
According to the terms of the agreement, the UK will fund all transportation costs, both for returns to France and for transfers of asylum seekers from France to the UK. The document specifies that individuals accepted from France will be transported from designated locations at the UK’s expense.
The deal also clarifies that no one with an outstanding asylum claim can be removed, and France reserves the right to reject any return if the individual poses a threat to public safety, security, public health, or Schengen-area relations.
So far in 2025, 25,436 people have crossed the Channel in small boats to reach the UK, a record number for this point in the year since data collection began in 2018. This marks a 48% increase compared to the same period in 2024 (17,170) and a 70% rise from 2023 (14,994), according to Home Office data analysed by the PA news agency.
At least 10 people have died attempting the journey this year, based on reports from French and UK authorities, though no official fatality record is kept.
