UK-France Launch ‘One In, One Out’ Migrant Pilot After Record Channel Crossings

The United Kingdom and France have today announced the launch of a pilot ‘one in, one out’ scheme aimed at tackling the record number of small boat migrant crossings in the English Channel. The new agreement, unveiled following a joint news conference between Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, seeks to deter illegal crossings by proposing that for each migrant the UK returns to France, another with a strong asylum case in Britain will be accepted.

This initiative comes as Channel crossings reached an unprecedented high in the first half of 2025, with nearly 20,000 individuals making the perilous journey. While the scheme is designed as a deterrent, officials acknowledge it marks merely the initial phase of what is anticipated to be a highly complex process. The Home Office has refrained from speculating on weekly expulsion numbers during the pilot, and Prime Minister Starmer opted not to disclose specific operational details, citing potential undermining of the scheme.

Despite its perceived simplicity, the ‘one in, one out’ plan is expected to face significant legal, political, and practical hurdles. However, the underlying legal principle is considered sound; the UN Refugee Convention does not grant migrants the right to choose their asylum destination, differentiating this scheme from the previous government’s stalled Rwanda policy, which faced safety concerns. Future legal challenges are likely to focus on the fairness of selection processes and the treatment of individuals upon their return to France.

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