By M10News Politics Desk © 2025 M10News|11, July 2025
Border Force officials and RNLI crews have been deployed in the English Channel today as small boats carrying migrants were intercepted en route to the UK. The first vessel of the day arrived in Dover earlier this morning, with more still at sea, according to eyewitness reports from the port.
The latest crossings occurred just hours after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly announced a new bilateral agreement aimed at reducing Channel crossings. The deal, which includes a so-called “one in, one out” arrangement, would see weekly returns of migrants who arrive in the UK via small boats back to France. In exchange, the UK will accept an equal number of vetted asylum seekers currently residing in France.
While hailed as a “reset” in UK-France relations, the policy is not yet operational. It remains subject to legal finalisation and consultations with European Union partners before implementation, which officials say is expected in the coming weeks.
The crossings today underline the urgency of tackling the issue, which has dominated public and political discourse for several years. Critics of the new deal have questioned whether France will enforce the returns consistently, while supporters argue it marks a pragmatic shift from the previous government’s controversial deportation policy toward Rwanda.
Meanwhile, Border Force teams in Dover continue to process the newly arrived individuals. The Home Office has yet to release the number of people on board or their countries of origin.
Today’s developments reflect the ongoing challenge the UK government faces in managing irregular migration and enforcing border policy while maintaining human rights commitments and diplomatic cooperation.
Editing by M10News Politics Desk | Contact: politics@m10news.com
© 2025 M10News. All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction is prohibited
