Thousands of small boat arrivals since new migrant deal with France

More than 2,500 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats in the 11 days since the new “one in, one out” agreement with France took effect, figures from the Home Office show.

The plan proposes that for each migrant the UK returns to France, another person with a strong case for asylum in Britain will be allowed to stay.

Around 28,000 people have reached the UK in small boats so far this year and more than 50,000 have crossed since Labour came into power in July 2024.

Meanwhile, a boat holding more than 100 people was reportedly sighted in the Channel this week.

A Home Office spokesperson said the people-smuggling gangs “do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay”.

“That is why this government is implementing a serious and comprehensive plan to break the business model of the gangs, including enhanced cooperation with France to prevent small boat crossings and a pilot scheme to detain and return small boat migrants back to France.”

Rob Lawrie, a volunteer aid worker, told the BBC’s Today Programme on Friday smugglers estimate they can send up to 150 people on boats.

“That’s a lot more people, overcrowding an extra large boat,” he said.

“We’ve already had reports of children getting crushed, not only in the rush but within the dinghy itself.”

He added it was unclear how many people were falling overboard during crossings.

Crossings tend to increase in the summer months when the weather is calm in the Channel. Last August, more than 4,000 people made the journey.

These numbers can vary depending on factors including the supply of boat parts and how actively the police are patrolling the beaches in northern France, to try to prevent boats from launching.

The “one in, one out” pilot scheme was set up as part of a deal announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron during his state visit to the UK in July.

The first group of people to arrive under the scheme were detained in Dover earlier this month. Removals to France have yet to take place and could take up to three months.

When Labour came to power it promised to smash the gangs organising the crossings, but warned that it would not be quick or easy to do. Ministers are now under pressure to deliver results, though the deterrent effect of the returns deal may not become clear until deportations begin in earnest and increase in number.

Speaking about the first detentions earlier this month, Sir Keir said: “If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back. When I say I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it.”

Set to last 11 months, the project will see the UK accepting an equal number of asylum seekers who have not tried to cross and can pass security and eligibility checks.

At the time, shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised the government’s new deal as “having no deterrent effect whatsoever”.

The National Crime Agency said it has had some success in disrupting the business model of the smugglers.

Last week, 20 inflatable boats believed to be destined for the Channel were seized from a lorry in Bulgaria – the second such discovery in less than three weeks.

The government says it’s an illustration of the need for international cooperation to tackle illegal immigration.

Afghans were the top nationality arriving by small boat in the year to March 2025, according to Home Office figures.

Syrians made up the second largest group, followed by people from Iran, Vietnam and Eritrea.

These five nationalities accounted for 61% of all arrivals.

In 2024, almost one third of the 108,000 people who claimed asylum in the UK arrived on a small boat.

The Home Office can remove people with no legal right to stay in the UK, or refuse to let them enter.

But the 1951 Refugee Convention establishes the right to claim asylum in a foreign state if an applicant can prove they face a serious threat to life or freedom in their country of origin.