Sunita Somvanshi
The UK and France have abandoned their landmark “one in, one out” migrant exchange deal, the Home Office confirmed on September 30. The pilot scheme, designed to curb English Channel crossings, is “no longer processing new cases,” ending a fragile year-long experiment in post-Brexit cooperation.
The deal was agreed in 2025 under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a gesture to ease post-Brexit tensions with Paris. Under the arrangement, migrants who crossed the Channel illegally could be detained and returned to France, while an equivalent number of asylum seekers from France would be accepted in the UK. Between August 2025 and June 2026, 1,117 asylum seekers came to the UK from France and 1,087 were deported — short of the 2,600 target. UK Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood told parliament the deal had “not been without its challenges” and the “numbers are still relatively small.”
France Interior Minister Laurent Nunez had already signaled in June that the deal was “not intended to be renewed beyond October 1, 2026.” Le Monde reported that UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham personally pressed President Emmanuel Macron during September talks to keep it alive, but “Paris was in a hurry to end the cooperation on controlling migrant flows.”
Crossings Down but No Replacement Planned
Small boat crossings have fallen dramatically in 2026. Approximately 19,000 people made the crossing by September, a 40% drop compared to the same point in 2025. Authorities credit increased police patrols and enhanced surveillance in northern France. But critics note the decline may reflect changing weather patterns and smuggling route shifts rather than the deal effectiveness.
Deportation flights will continue in the coming weeks for those already detained, the Home Office said. But no replacement mechanism has been announced. UK government sources acknowledged the pilot “did not reach our desired scale” and said London “would have willingly seen it continue.”
Without a formal bilateral mechanism, the UK has no diplomatic tool to compel French cooperation on returns. As warmer weather drives higher Channel arrivals in spring, the absence of this framework could see crossings rise again. The collapse leaves a diplomatic vacuum at a time when Cross-Channel tensions remain high.
France refused to renew the deal. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said in June the pilot was “not intended to be renewed beyond October 1, 2026.” UK officials acknowledged operational difficulties scaling up removals, and the numbers were “relatively small” compared to the 2,600 target.
The UK-France migrant deal was meant to break the business model of people smugglers. Instead, it lasted barely a year before Paris walked away — leaving both governments searching for a new approach to a problem neither has solved. For context on UK immigration policy, see UK immigration reforms and the immigration policy archive.
