Britain is to return just 50 Channel migrants to France per week under a trial run of a ‘one in one out’ deal, it was reported today.
French media suggested a pilot scheme could be setup as London and Paris continue to talk about how to solve the problem.
But 50 per week would barely make a dent in the number of UK arrivals, which stand at 44,000 for the year.
The official readout of a meeting between Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron at No10 today suggested the two sides are still some way from a new agreement on stopping the migrant boats.
Downing Street said talks would continue at the Anglo–French summit tomorrow in the hope of making ‘concrete progress’.
But it also responded to criticism from Macron in a speech to Parliament yesterday that there were too many ‘pull factors’ encouraging people to try to cross in the first place.
‘The Prime Minister spoke of his Government’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats,’ a spokesman said.
French media suggested a pilot scheme could be setup as London and Paris continue to talk about how to solve the problem.
The official readout of a meeting between Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron at No10 today suggested the two sides are still some way from a new agreement on stopping the migrant boats.
But it also responded to criticism from Macron in a speech to Parliament yesterday that there were too many ‘pull factors’ encouraging people to try to cross in the first place.
The pact would mean small boat migrants being sent back to the continent, in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link.
The report was first made in the Le Monde newspaper saying and UK officials want to scale up the numbers after the initial phase.
France has long complained that it is too easy for illegal arrivals to work and claim benefits in this country. One of Mr Macron’s MPs recently branded the UK an ‘El Dorado for migrants’.
Ministers believe the plan could help act as a deterrent, although they acknowledge the scale could be very small initially.
But critics have branded the idea a ‘migrant merry-go-round’, while the EU commission has intervened to raise concerns that it could cause problems for other member states.
There have been complaints that the £770million handed to Paris for border controls over the past 12 years has achieved little.
In his wide-ranging speech, Mr Macron, said this week would produce ‘tangible results’ aimed at reducing the flow of illegal arrivals across the Channel.
Mr Macron said Britain and France had a ‘shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and firmness’.
The Prime Minister welcomed the French president to Downing Street on Wednesday ahead of a full UK-France summit on Thursday involving ministerial teams from both nations.
‘The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions,’ a Downing Street spokesperson said after the meeting.
They added: ‘The Prime Minister spoke of his Government’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.
‘The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs.’
