The British and French governments are reportedly extending a ‘one in, one out’ asylum processing deal which has been branded “hostile border theatre” by its critics.
Under the deal, which will now be extended until 1 October 2026 according to sources, the UK returns people who have arrived on small boats back to France in exchange for accepting the same number of asylum seekers from France through formal, legal pathways.
Since the announcement of the initial deal – hailed as “groundbreaking” by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron – on 10 July last year, nearly 28,000 people have arrived by boat to the UK, according to Home Office statistics.
In that time, just over 600 people have been returned to France, with 581 people being accepted into the UK as part of the scheme.
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