Last week, Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron announced a new UK-France migration deal. While full details are still to come, the plan offers hope for some refugees desperately trying to reach safety in the UK – but it doesn’t come without concerns. Let’s break it down.
Why this deal?
The agreement comes as Channel crossings reach record highs. Whilst the government frames it as a “crackdown on illegal migration” we can’t lose sight of what’s really at stake: real people, forced to flee war and life-threatening danger.
Most of those crossing come from countries like Afghanistan, Syria, and Sudan – places where it’s not safe to return. With no safe alternatives, at least 82 people – including 12 children – lost their lives in the Channel last year alone.
What’s actually in the deal?
The deal creates a new, although limited, safe route – something we’ve long been fighting for. This means some people in France will now be able to apply for protection in the UK. This is significant, as for most refugees, there is virtually no safe or legal way to seek safety here other than to make a dangerous journey first.
From what we know so far, eligibility for this route will be assessed on three things: whether people come from countries where there is a high risk of persecution, if they have a connection to the UK (which could include family links) and their vulnerability to smugglers.
However, this route will work on a strict “one-in, one-out” basis: for every person accepted, someone who has already crossed the Channel will be returned to France. And those returned won’t be eligible to apply through the new route.
The deal also expands enforcement at sea, including more aggressive interceptions of boats leaving France. Just this week, BBC footage showed the real cost of such policies, with French police slashing an inflatable boat carrying terrified people, including children.
The pilot scheme is expected to launch within weeks, starting with 50 people per week accepted, and 50 returned to France.
So… is it a step forward or a step back?
After years of legal limbo following the loss of key EU family reunion routes, it’s a step in the right direction to see the UK engaging seriously with France. This deal has the potential to help some people desperately trying to reach safety and family in the UK, whether they’re stuck in Calais facing police violence, or sleeping rough on the streets of Paris.
But offering protection to one person shouldn’t mean denying it to another; so it is vital that refugees are still able to apply for asylum, whether that is in the UK or France. It’s also concerning to see the UK Prime Minister doubling down on hostile language – promising “hard-headed, aggressive action” and harsher policing at sea. This only panders to the far-right and does nothing to protect refugees.
Crucially, one narrow scheme will not be enough to stop people dying on our shores. To be a real alternative to dangerous journeys, it must be accompanied by wider safe routes – including for unaccompanied children and families seeking to reunite.
In 2024, over 4,000 unaccompanied children risked their lives across the Channel. So far, we still don't know if this new safe route will include them. This also comes at a time when the government is planning to restrict family reunion rights – when we know joining loved ones is a key reason why people still make dangerous journeys.
What we’ll do next
We’ll be watching closely to ensure this deal doesn’t limit people’s right to seek safety, and advocating for safeguards to be built in. This includes access to proper legal support and information centres in France, and fair processes so people understand their rights and options.
If done properly, this scheme could offer some refugees an alternative to risking their lives. But it must be the beginning of something bigger and better.