The British government has announced plans to begin detaining migrants arriving in the country by boat, under a new agreement whereby the UK will accept some asylum seekers and send others back to France.
Under the deal reached by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, the UK will return some illegal migrants in exchange for accepting the same number of people who have not yet attempted to cross the border.
This decision comes amid a record increase in illegal crossings and political pressure, including from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. According to Starmer, this is a way to fix a “broken asylum system.”
The Home Office also announced that the UK will allocate an additional £100 million to combat migration across the English Channel. The decision was made amid growing protests near hotels where asylum seekers are housed.
The funds will be used to prevent crossings of the English Channel, including the implementation of a one-for-one migrant exchange agreement with France. The money will also be used to pay for 300 additional staff at the National Crime Agency, as well as new technology and equipment to gather intelligence on groups involved in smuggling people into the UK.
The one in one out migrant exchange agreement between France and the UK was signed in July 2025. It provides for the return of some migrants who arrived in the UK on small boats and the acceptance of the same number of asylum seekers in return.
