Downing Street anticipates significant advancements in addressing the small boats issue during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit. New powers for French police to act before boats reach open water are expected to be operational soon. The UK government seeks a 'one in, one out' migrant return deal, where migrants arriving by small boat would be returned to France in exchange for accepting asylum seekers with family ties in the UK. Optimism surrounds reaching an agreement, though actual implementation would require substantial exchanges to deter future crossings effectively.
Downing Street expects to make good progress on tackling small boats crossing the Channel during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Britain, aiming to operationalise new powers for French police.
The UK government is negotiating a 'one in, one out' migrant return deal, allowing Britain to return small boat migrants to France in exchange for accepting asylum seekers with connections in the UK.
There is optimism from the UK side regarding the possibility of an agreement during Macron's visit, reflecting nearly months of constructive negotiations between Prime Minister Starmer and Macron.
The arrangement proposed aims to deter potential migrants by demonstrating they might be returned to France if they attempt the perilous crossing, requiring sufficiently large exchanges to be effective.
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