UK-France 'one in, one out' migrant scheme scrapped

UK-France 'one in, one out' migrant scheme scrapped The United Kingdom has terminated its “one in, one out” arrangement with France that sought to return migrants who crossed the Channel in small boats. Officials confirmed the pilot programme is no longer accepting new cases, though removal flights will continue in the coming weeks. A Home Office spokesperson stated that “lessons learned” would be used to “accelerate efforts” to remove small vessel migrants with no right to remain. The same official added, “The government's pilot with France to remove asylum seekers in exchange for an equal number of illegal migrants is no longer processing new cases,” and noted, “However, flights will continue over the coming weeks to swiftly remove small vessel migrants from the UK, and we will use lessons learned from the pilot to accelerate efforts to remove small vessel migrants with no right to stay in the UK.” Only about 1,500 individuals have been returned to France since the scheme began just over a year ago. The BBC understands the government had hoped to keep the initiative running but concluded it did not achieve the desired scale. The French Interior Ministry told the BBC: “We are discussing with the British the presumption of exit from the agreement.” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood acknowledged the strategy had “not been without its challenges.” Speaking to MPs, she said, “The numbers are inactive comparatively small,” and added, “What has been much operationally hard is to standard up precise ample numbers of removals each week into the French system.” She also noted that UN and other agencies reported some migrants avoided boarding boats because they believed they might be admitted under the “one in, one out” scheme. According to the latest figures, 19,135 people crossed the English Channel by small boat between 1 January and 27 September 2026, a decline of 42 % compared with the same period in 2025 when 32,188 made the journey. These crossings remain the most common method for irregular entry into the UK since 2020, with nearly all arrivals claiming asylum. Under international law, such claimants may stay while their applications are processed. Small boat landings accounted for 40 % of asylum applications from July 2025 to June 2026. Vessels arriving between 28 September 2025 and 27 September 2026 carried an average of 67 people, more than