Is Keir Starmer’s Migrant Deal with France a “National Humiliation?”
In July this year, Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron shook hands on what was billed as a game-changer: the “one-in, one-out” migration deal between the UK and France.
The aim was to deter small boat crossings by enabling deportations of anyone deemed not to have a right to stay in Britain.
But instead of restoring confidence, the deal is now receiving sharp criticism, with Tories labelling it as a “national humiliation”.
“This is a gimmick, it is not a deterrent…”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp was scathing,
“For every immigrant we have returned to France, an average of 372 have come to the UK. This is a gimmick, it is not a deterrent, and quite frankly, it is an embarrassment. This is a national humiliation.”
“Rapists, gang members, and foreign offenders are slipping through while the Government sits on its hands. British people didn’t vote for an open border experiment.”
Philp argued that the Conservatives already have a better borders plan ready to go, one that would see swift removals and a robust legal process to end the crossings. As he put it: “But Keir Starmer doesn’t have the backbone to do this….only the Conservatives will deliver stronger borders.”
Small boat crossings continue
Simultaneously, the crossings continue. Last Saturday alone saw 369 people cross the Channel in seven boats.
The number of small boat migrants who have crossed the Channel this year already exceeds the 36,816 who made the dangerous journey last year in 2024. And overall, arrivals since Starmer took office are estimated to have reached around 60,000.
These figures come to light amid some more embarrassing news for Starmer. A migrant who had been deported to France under the “one-in, one-out” deal had returned to the UK on another small boat Channel crossing and is now awaiting deportation for the second time.
Labour’s take
Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood inevitably has a different take to Philp.
“For many years, illegal migrants entered our country with no consequence. This is the largest return flight under our historic deal with the French….this is just the beginning. I will scale up these removals to France, and I will do whatever it takes to secure our borders.”
Mahmood now plans to set up similar agreements with Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands in an effort to ‘scale up’ migrant returns.
Where do we go from here?
The deal struck between Starmer and Macron was aimed squarely at creating a disincentive for the perilous Channel crossing, but the arrival numbers aren’t reducing yet.
As Martin Hewitt, the border-security chief, admitted this week, the arrival numbers are “frustrating” but also that “work to stop the smuggling route was always going to take time.”
