UK migrant arrivals top 1,100 over two days as government deal with France faces strain

More than 1,100 illegal migrants arrived in the United Kingdom on small boats over two days, according to Home Office figures, vastly outpacing the three asylum seekers returned to France under the government’s so‑called one‑in, one‑out arrangement. On Friday, 1,072 migrants were recorded in 13 boats, averaging about 82 per vessel, while Saturday brought 85 arrivals in a single boat amid high winds and choppy seas.

The two‑day stretch pushes 2025’s total across the English Channel to 32,188, edging toward the 2024 annual tally of 36,816. More than 55,000 have arrived since Labour took power in July last year. The government has sought to use a bilateral deal with France to deter crossings, but last‑minute legal challenges have complicated the policy and sparked political damage control. Under the framework, the UK can return an asylum seeker who arrives by small boat to France, which in turn sends an equivalent number of asylum seekers who applied by legal means to the United Kingdom.

The latest individual removed under the scheme is an Iranian man who was sent back to France on Friday, following an Eritrean man who had been returned earlier in the day after losing a High Court bid to remain in Britain and the deportation of an Indian national on Thursday. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has claimed the scheme provides an “immediate deterrent” to people planning to come to the UK in small boats, but Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has dismissed it as “pathetic” and said “boasting about it is absurd.”

Analysts note that the mass arrivals may strain resources, with a rough projection suggesting the near‑1,100 figure could cost taxpayers as much as £43 million for a single year in housing, food, healthcare, legal aid, education and other benefits. Local councils are also eligible for grants, including about £1,200 per asylum seeker to cover incidental expenditure.

The debate over the policy has been amplified by opposition critiques and pro‑Brexit voices. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage weighed in on social media, stating that despite three migrants being returned to France, more than 1,000 arrived in one day, signaling what he described as a continuing “invasion.” In parallel, the government notes that a voluntary Home Office scheme paying failed asylum seekers £3,000 to leave Britain has drawn criticism and praise depending on the perspective. Between 2021 and 2024, 13,637 migrants took advantage of the program, at a reported cost of about £40.9 million.

As authorities monitor weather patterns and court rulings, the governing approach to small‑boat arrivals remains a central question in domestic politics and in Britain’s evolving stance on immigration and border controls within Europe.