Britain is expected to return only 50 Channel migrants to France each week as part of a trial "one in, one out" agreement, according to French media reports. The pilot scheme is being

considered as the UK and France continue discussions on how to tackle illegal migration across the English Channel.

However, critics point out that this figure would make little impact, given that over 44,000 migrants have arrived in the UK so far this year.

The proposal reportedly involves Britain returning small boat arrivals to France, while in exchange accepting asylum seekers from within Europe who have connections to the UK. UK officials are said to hope the plan can be scaled up if the initial phase is successful.

The talks come amid a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to London, where he met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Wednesday. According to an official readout, the two leaders acknowledged that a comprehensive deal to stop the crossings remains elusive, but committed to making progress at the UK–France summit scheduled for Thursday.

Downing Street also responded to criticism from Macron, who on Tuesday told Parliament that the UK had too many "pull factors" encouraging migrants to make the dangerous journey. A spokesperson said Starmer had highlighted recent government efforts to toughen the immigration system, including increased arrests for illegal working to dismantle the "false promise of jobs" used by smugglers to lure migrants onto boats.

France has long argued that the UK makes it too easy for illegal migrants to find work and access benefits. One of Macron’s MPs even described Britain as an “El Dorado for migrants.”

While UK ministers hope the deal could act as a deterrent, they admit the initial impact would be limited. Critics have dismissed the idea as a "migrant merry-go-round," and the European Commission has warned it could create complications for other EU countries.

The UK has already given France £770 million over the past 12 years to strengthen border controls, with little measurable success, according to critics.

In his address, Macron expressed hope that this week’s meetings would deliver “tangible results” in reducing illegal Channel crossings. He emphasized that both countries share a responsibility to tackle irregular migration “with humanity, solidarity and firmness.”

After the meeting, a Downing Street spokesperson said both leaders agreed that irregular migration and small boat crossings require joint solutions. They also discussed the need for new deterrents to break the business model of human smuggling gangs. Photo by Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick, Wikimedia commons.