Starmer confirms ‘ground-breaking returns pilot’ scheme will start operating in coming weeks
Starmer moves to illegal migration.
This is a global crisis, he says. But it is also “acutely” a crisis for UK and France.
An enterprise run by criminals is leading hundreds of people to their deaths in the Channel.
They have agreed “a ground-breaking returns pilot”.
He says, in exchange for every migrant returned, another migrant will be allowed to enter the UK legally. This will be subject to strict checks, and only available to people who have not tried to enter the UK illegally.
This will be implemented in the coming weeks.
Some people will ask – why take anyone?
But it is right to offer haven to people in dire need, Starmer says.
But he says there is another point – the government has to show it can work with others on this.
He thanks Macron for his support for the French police using tougher measures to stop boats leaving.
Key events
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Early evening summary
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Refugee charities sceptical about benefits of returns agreement with France, with some highly critical
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Tories claim Starmer’s ‘weak and ineffective’ plan will have ‘no deterrent effect’
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What Starmer said about how ‘one in, one out’ returns agreement will operate
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Starmer cites small boats deal as example of why ‘social democracy’ can get better results than ‘performative politics’
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Macron says Brexit supporters were wrong to think leaving EU would make it easier for UK to tackle illegal migration
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Macron says nuclear weapons partnership deal response to ‘markedly more threatening environment’
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Coalition of willing to have new, permanent HQ in Paris, Starmer says
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Starmer confirms ‘ground-breaking returns pilot’ scheme will start operating in coming weeks
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Starmer and Macron hold press conference
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Why government says it is getting rid of FPTP for mayoral and PCC elections in England
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Rayner to scrap first-past-the-post for mayoral and PCC elections in England, reverting to supplementary vote
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Starmer and Macron urge allies to step up ‘pressure’ on Putin
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Starmer says European ‘coalition of willing’ plans to help Ukraine in event of ceasefire now ‘mature’
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Iran’s threat to UK on a par with Russia’s, security report finds
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Labour criticises Badenoch for not saying Tories would definitely keep pensions triple lock
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Ross Greer announces bid to become co-leader of Scottish Greens
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Badenoch rejects official figures saying 24% of people disabled, claiming this based on definition so wide it’s meaningless
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Badenoch dismisses Jake Berry as ‘banana republic’ opportunist after his defection to Reform
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Badenoch dismisses suggestion that defections to Reform UK reflect badly on her leadership
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Badenoch says supporting triple lock for pensions is Tory policy
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Badenoch claims UK becoming ‘welfare state with economy attached’
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Streeting says resident doctors have lost support of public with latest strike threat
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Badenoch claims Farage like ‘Corbyn with a pint’, saying Reform UK promising ‘unaffordable giveaways’ on welfare
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Badenoch calls for foreign nationals and people with less serious medical conditions to lose right to sickness benefits
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Almost 1.7m children living in homes affected by two-child benefit cap, figures show
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Macron suggests EU needs to be involved in finding solutions to illegal migration
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Starmer says UK and France have agreed ‘new tactics’ to deal with small boats
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Hospital waiting lists in England at lowest levels for more than two years, figures show
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Last Tory government helped to ‘wreck country’, says former party chair Jake Berry as he defects to Reform UK
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Britain and France agree use of their nuclear weapons could be coordinated in defence of Europe
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Tories claim ‘one in, one out’ migration deal with France ‘will not deter anyone’
Early evening summary
This is Brexit Britain. We voted to take back control of our borders, not to accept a deal given to us by a French President.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, repeately criticised people (like Farage) who supported Brexit, saying they wrongly told voters that leaving the EU would make tackling illegal migration easier. They were wrong, he said. As HuffPost UK reports, Macron said:
Since Brexit, and I’m saying all this quite honestly – I know this is not your case prime minister – but many people in your country explained that Brexit would make it possible to fight more effectively against illegal immigration, but since Brexit the UK has no migratory agreement with the EU … [Because the UK no longer had a returns agreement with the EU] that makes an incentive to make the crossing, precisely the opposite of what the Brexiters promised.
For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.
Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images
Refugee charities sceptical about benefits of returns agreement with France, with some highly critical
Charities working with refugees do not yet have a settled view on the “one in, one out” returns scheme. Earlier there were statements from Care4Calais at 4.51pm and from the International Rescue Committee at 4.55pm that were very critical.
Now two other major charities have issued statements that are more supportive – but only up to a point. They are saying there is still a need for the government to open up proper safe routes for asylum seekers wanting to come to the UK.
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said:
The PM is right to say that the UK must continue to offer a haven for those in need. It’s essential people can make an asylum application, be that in Britain or France, and are treated with dignity, including getting legal advice.
Men, women and children fleeing oppressive regimes like the Taliban and brutal civil wars such as in Sudan should not need to risk their lives on boats to reach safety in Britain. Greater cooperation with France is welcome, but for any solution to work long term the government must adopt a comprehensive approach, including international cooperation, steps to prosecute the gangs and, critically, different safe and legal ways to reach Britain from conflicts such as those in Sudan and also for those with family members in the UK …
The groundbreaking one for one deal with France is an important first step but it’s vital that it is implemented in a way that treats all those seeking asylum fairly and with respect and dignity. For now, it’s too soon to determine what the impact will be.
And this is from Alex Fraser, director of refugee services for the British Red Cross.
Today’s announcement has the potential to help some people who are desperately trying to reach safety in the UK – but this shouldn’t be at the expense of denying other people protection.
To meaningfully reduce the number of people taking these dangerous journeys and prevent further loss of life, we want to see the government create a safe protection route that is more inclusive, and that sees the people behind the numbers.
Those crossing the Channel are human beings – women, children and men who have already endured unimaginable trauma and suffering. We must never lose sight of this.
Downing Street has just published the leaders’ declaration from the UK-France summit.
It says the deal will be finalised “subject to completing prior legal scrutiny in full transparency and understanding with the [European] commission and EU member states as this initiative is related to an EU external border”.
This implies the need for the the plan to go through some sort of consultation process with the EU, although it is not clear from this wording whether this would amount to a veto.
Tories claim Starmer’s ‘weak and ineffective’ plan will have ‘no deterrent effect’
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, has issued a statement condemning the deal. He said:
Labour’s deal will only return one in every 17 illegal immigrants arriving. Allowing 94% of illegal immigrants to stay will make no difference whatsoever and have no deterrent effect.
This is the latest catastrophic example that when Labour negotiates, the UK loses.
Starmer’s first move in power was to rip up the Illegal Migration Act, scrap the Rwanda deterrent plan, weaken age checks and reopen the path to citizenship for illegal migrants. This is a green light to people smugglers.
Labour promised to “smash the gangs”, but 2025 so far has been the worst year in history for illegal immigrants crossing the channel and 44,000 illegal immigrants have crossed since the election. Returning 50 illegal immigrants a week only represents 6% of these arrivals.
The Conservatives would restore the Rwanda plan which Starmer cancelled just days before it was due to start. This would see 100% of illegal immigrants being immediately removed without judicial process. The Australian example showed that a 100% removals deterrent works. We will do the same here.
We’ve had enough of Starmer’s weak and ineffective gimmicks.
What Starmer said about how ‘one in, one out’ returns agreement will operate
Here is the text of what Keir Starmer said in his opening statement at the press conference about the ‘one in, one out’ returns agreement.
Starting – first – with tackling illegal migration.
Now, this is a global crisis, and it’s a European crisis. But it is also – very acutely – a crisis for our two nations – a crisis of law, security, humanity – and fairness.
We face a sprawling, multibillion pound enterprise, run by organised criminal gangsl leading hundreds of people to their death in the Channel.
So we are determined, together, to end this vile trade.
There is no silver bullet here. But with a united effort, new tactics –and a new level of intent – we can finally turn the tables.
So I’m pleased to announce our agreement today on a groundbreaking returns pilot.
For the very first time, migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France – in short order. In exchange for every return, a different individual will be allowed to come here via a safe route, controlled and legal, subject to strict security checks, and only open to those who have not tried to enter the UK illegally.
This will show others trying to make the same journey that it will be in vain. And the jobs they’ve been promised in the UK will no longer exist – because of the nationwide crackdown we’re delivering on illegal working – which is on a completely unprecedented scale.
The president and I have agreed that this pilot will be implemented in coming weeks.
Now, I know some people will still ask – why should we take anyone in? So let me address that directly.
We accept genuine asylum seekers – because it is right that we offer a haven to those in most dire need. But there is also something else here, something more practical. Which is that we simply cannot solve a challenge like stopping the boats. By acting alone and telling our allies that we won’t play ball.
That is why today’s agreement is so important, because we will solve this, like so many of our problems, by working together.
Just look at the steps the French government is planning; subject to their ongoing maritime review, to allow their officers to intervene in shallow waters and prevent more boats from launching.
This is a big step. I want to thank the President for driving it through.
So this is our plan, together: hard-headed, aggressive action on all fronts, to break the gangs’ business model, secure our borders and show that attempting to reach the UK by small boat will only end in failure, detention and return.
Q: What is your position on recognising Palestinian statehood?
Starmer says the situation in Gaza is unacceptable. He says recognising Palestinian statehood has been Labour policy for a long time. But the priority now is to get a ceasefire, and to allow the space for the politics to happen.
And that is the end of the press conference.
Starmer says the “coalition of the willing” now has a plan for peacekeeping in Ukraine that is ready to be operationalised. He says he thought it was important to do the work on that now, and not to leave it until after a ceasefire happens.
Macron says Russia is spending 40% of its budget on the military.
It has never upheld its commitments, he says.
Starmer says, although he can understand why people are focusing on the small boats deal, it is important not to underestimate how important the nuclear deal is.
Starmer did not answer the question about the risk of the deal being held up in the courts.
Steven Swinford from the Times points out that Macron also referred briefly to the need for legal sign-off. (See 4.59pm.) He says:
Emmanuel Macron says the one in, one out migrant returns deal has been agreed ‘in principle’
He says it will be enacted once the ‘legal verifications’ of the UK, France and crucially the EU have been completed
Doesn’t sound like it’s fully over the line yet
Q: What is the risk of this deal being held up in the courts? And how will people be chosen?
Starmer says the pilot scheme will be operationalised in the coming weeks.
Of course, it is a pilot, he says.
Starmer says he will not get into the detail of who will be chosen to be returned, because if they were to publicise that, it could undermine the scheme.
(A similar issue occured with the Rwanda policy. The Tory government indicated that single men would be deported to Rwanda first, but it did not want to say that in public in case it incentivised the smugglers to send over more women and children.)
Macron says the pilot scheme is meant to have a deterrent effect.
Starmer cites small boats deal as example of why ‘social democracy’ can get better results than ‘performative politics’
Starmer and Macron are now taking questions.
Q: [From ITV’s Robert Peston] Will this pilot scheme really have any deterrent effect? In French, he asks Macron how much money France is getting for this deal. And, back in English, he says Starmer and Macron are both centrists. Do they have any survival tips for centrists in this environment.
Starmer says the point about this is that it is “a pilot to break the [business] model” of people smugglers.
He says he and Macron have agreed this because they have cooperated, “through serioius diplomacy”.
Macron says France and the UK have agreements that are already effective. He says for every £1 the UK puts in to tackling small boats, France spends €3.
He again says Brexit made the illegal migration problem worse for the UK.
One third of illegal immigrants in Schengen countries are people who want to come to the UK, he says. He suggests that is why an EU-wide scheme is needed.
And, on the final part of the question, Macron says populists offer voters simple solution. He cites Brexit as an example. Did it solve the UK’s problems? No.
After Brexit, people thought it was over for centrists. They say policy is compicated. But that turned out not to be the case, he says.
And Starmer says, on this point, achieving results by quiet diplomacy is the mission of his government.
Going back to migration, he says this is a problem around the world. It requires a serious, pragmatic response, not performative politics.
He says, while he and Macron have been working hard, others have just been “taking pictures”. That is a reference to Nigel Farage. (See 5.23pm.)
He says it is really important that social democracy shows it has the answers.
Macron says Brexit supporters were wrong to think leaving EU would make it easier for UK to tackle illegal migration
At the press conference Macron says some people in the UK thought Brexit would make it easier for the UK government to stop small boats.
But he says the opposite happened, because the UK was no longer bound by the Dublin convention.
He says the agremeent reached today will come into effect as soon as the legal process has been concluded.
He says it could be a “major deterrent”.
The International Rescue Committee, the international aid charity run by former Labour cabinet minster David Miliband, has also condemned the plan. Flora Alexander, the IRC’s UK director, said:
This agreement marks yet another step in the wrong direction – doubling down on deterrence rather than offering meaningful protection. Prioritising tougher enforcement without creating safe, legal routes is both dangerous and ineffective. Evidence shows that these policies don’t stop people from seeking safety – they simply force them into more perilous journeys, putting lives at risk.
Proposals such as a ‘one-in, one-out’ scheme risk undermining the right to seek asylum, a core principle of international law. They ignore the root causes of why people cross borders in the first place – to escape conflict, persecution and crisis. Border security must not come at the expense of human rights or the UK’s moral and legal obligations.
Care4Calais, a refugee charity, has condemned the ‘one in, one out’ deal that has just been announced. It says:
A grubby deal between two Governments that trades human lives. A deal that will likely be expensive, will make life harder for people who seek safety in the UK, but will do nothing to tackle the root cause of crossings – a lack of safe routes
The government would probably argue that the scheme does establish a safe route of sorts.
Starmer will take questions on this in a moment. But Macron is still talking at the moment.
Macron says nuclear weapons partnership deal response to ‘markedly more threatening environment’
Macron is speaking about the nuclear weapons deal.
He says this goes beyond what the two countries have agreed in the past on the use of nuclear weapons. They say they cannot imagine any extreme threat to Europe that would not prompt a response from both powers.
The two countries are independent and sovereign. But they will have the ability to work together given the “markedly more threatening environment” they face.
Emmanuel Macron is speaking now (in French).
He says the state visit shows the strength of the relationship between the two countries.