UK yet to agree ‘one in, one out' migrant deal with France
The policy launch was set to be the centrepiece of President Macron's state visit to Britain.
Sir Keir Starmer and the French president have been working on a system that would allow the UK to send back to France illegal migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats. In return, Britain would accept migrants with a legitimate case for joining relatives already in the UK.
Both sides hope the plan will reduce the pull factor that has led to a record number of people crossing the Channel in small boats this year.
However, the plan has been complicated by objections from at least five other European countries, which said they were concerned they could end up having to accept people returned from Britain to the Continent.
Five EU countries, including Greece, Malta and Cyprus, wrote to the European Commission late in June objecting to the proposals.
They fear that existing EU rules would allow France to deport illegal migrants they receive from the UK back to the first member state they entered.
Senior government sources said agreeing the deal with France was 'complex' and 'in the balance'. The source added: 'It is something we want to announce but we're not there yet. The next couple of days will be decisive.'
Macron will arrive in London on Tuesday night for a three-day state visit. It will end with a summit at Downing Street on Thursday at which the migration deal is due to be announced.
The president is also expected to lay out plans for French police to take a more proactive approach to stopping small boats setting sail for the UK.
At the weekend, gendarmes were pictured using jet skis to lay nets in shallow waters off the French coast, which could jam boat propellers. In a separate incident, police slashed one inflatable to prevent it from leaving.
The government has repeatedly pushed for French authorities to do more to prevent boats leaving the shore. It has called for changes to allow police officers to intervene when dinghies are in the water.
Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, said France was now using 'important new tactics' that could help to reduce crossings.
'No one should be making these small boat journeys across the Channel, which undermine our border security and put lives at risk,' she said. 'Over the last few months, we have been working together on new ways to crack down on the criminal gang operations, with the French now bringing in important new tactics to stop boats that are in the water. We need to stop at nothing to boost our border security and deliver our plan for change.'
There were no crossings on Saturday, according to the Home Office, although more than 500 people made the journey on Friday.
The tally has now pushed past 20,000 for 2025, the earliest point this has happened in a calendar year since data was first recorded in 2018.
Macron and the prime minister are understood to have discussed the 'one in, one out' plan on Saturday as they attempted to get the initiative over the line.
Downing Street said both men 'hoped to make good progress across a wide range of our joint priorities, including migration, growth, defence and security'.
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