Starmer, Macron announce ‘one in, one out’ migration deal, seal defence and Ukraine agreements

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced stricter migration measures on Thursday, as Macron concluded his state visit with key agreements on defence, nuclear collaboration, and coordinated support for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

Following French President’s three-day state visit that featured a carriage procession to Windsor Castle with King Charles and a state banquet, Prime Minister Keir Starmer received a significant political boost as Macron confirmed France’s agreement to a migrant returns scheme.

Since his landslide election victory last year, Starmer has seen his popularity decline and is now under pressure to tackle high levels of immigration, particularly the influx of asylum seekers arriving by small boats from France, as he seeks to counter the growing support for the populist Reform UK party, led by Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage.

According to a Reuters report, during a joint press conference, Starmer and Macron announced a “one in, one out” returns scheme, under which Britain would return to France undocumented migrants arriving in small boats, while accepting an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with family ties in the UK.

“I’m pleased to announce our agreement today on a groundbreaking returns pilot. For the very first time, migrants arriving in small boats will be detained and returned to France in short order,” Reuters quoted Starmer as saying, standing alongside Macron.

“This will show others trying to make the same journey that it will be in vain,” he added.

It was unclear, however, whether the agreement would have a big impact.

According to Reuters, citing a government source, the plan currently envisions around 50 returns per week — roughly 2,600 annually — just a fraction of the over 35,000 small boat arrivals reported last year.

Another official suggested the scheme could be expanded over time, added the report.

So far in 2025, more than 21,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, marking a record high for this point in the year.

Fabian Hamilton, a Labour MP, expressed doubts about the plan’s effectiveness, saying he was “sceptical that this is the answer.”

‘Migration pull factors’

The policy, which is similar to a scheme used by the EU and Turkey, carries risks for Macron from his right-wing political critics who may question why he has agreed to take back migrants wanting to live in Britain.

Macron criticised Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, saying “a lot of people in your country explained that Brexit would allow you to fight more efficiently against illegal immigration” but that it resulted in “the exact opposite”.

He had earlier called on Britain to address “migration pull factors”, suggesting it should be harder for migrants in Britain to find work without legal residential status.

Starmer said Britain’s nationwide crackdown on illegal working, which he described as being on a “completely unprecedented scale”, would mean the jobs migrants had been promised would no longer exist.

Underlining their desire for closer ties between the two countries, which were damaged when Britain left the EU in 2020, the two leaders agreed to strengthen their defence cooperation and both participated in a call of the “coalition of the willing”, nations that plan to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.

On the call, Starmer told Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy, it was time to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table to try to secure a peace deal. In the meantime, the focus should be on ensuring Ukraine was in the strongest possible position.

They agreed Paris would be the new headquarters of the “coalition of the willing”, rotating to London after the first 12 months. The group of nations would form a post-ceasefire force to regenerate land forces, secure Ukraine’s skies and support safer seas.

“Supporting Ukraine is not just the right thing to do, it’s essential for delivering security at home,” said Starmer.

Both pledged to order more Storm Shadow cruise missiles, now used in Ukraine, and signed an agreement to deepen their nuclear cooperation, which will say for the first time that the respective deterrents of both countries can be coordinated.

“As close partners and Nato allies, the UK and France have a deep history of defence collaboration and today’s agreements take our partnership to the next level,” Starmer was quoted as saying.

With inputs from agencies