By Enyichukwu Enemanna
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have reached an agreement on a pilot programme to return migrants and refugees arriving in small boats, in a scheme to curb crossings over the English Channel.
In a joint press conference on Thursday, Starmer said people arriving in the United Kingdom on small boats will “be detained and returned to France in short order”.
The British leader added that for every migrant returned, a different individual would 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”.
The announcement marks the end of Macron’s three-day state visit to the UK, with Starmer intent on the need for a “new deterrent” to crack down on undocumented migration as support for the far-right anti-immigrant Reform UK party soars.
“This will show others trying to make the same journey that it will be in vain, and the jobs they have 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.
“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, 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,” Starmer said.
The new deal faced widespread criticism from countries within the European Union over fears that illegal migrants would cross into Spain or Italy.
But Macron, who claimed “legal verifications” had to take place before the scheme was implemented, said co-operation was key to tackling people smuggling gangs.
He said the two countries “shared the same resolve to fight against illegal criminal gangs, with strong coordination with other EU states”.
He also blamed the post-Brexit agreement for failing to secure legal methods for asylum seekers to arrive in the UK.
“I don’t want people to get the idea that we’re not doing our work and we are wasting British money,” Macron said.
“I’d like to remind you that when you put a pound in, we put in three euros. We are putting a lot of money into defending the border.”
“The British people were sold a lie that the problem was Europe. By leaving, Brexit became the problem. For the first time in nine years we are bringing an answer.”
Keir Starmer and senior Labour officials say the new deterrent against small boat crossings will help the UK get a grip on small boat crossings.
