Overview

• The pilot scheme with France began on July 10 and sends about 50 weekly Channel arrivals back in exchange for admitting asylum seekers with UK family ties, pending EU legal approval.
• Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is finalising a parallel agreement with Iraq to expedite the removal of failed asylum seekers by the end of summer.
• Government figures credit French cooperation with preventing some 12,000 crossings since Labour took office, though 2025 has seen over 21,000 arrivals, a 40% increase.
• Conservative critics argue the pilot repatriates just 6–8% of arrivals, urging the revival of the cancelled Rwanda scheme and tougher penalties on illegal employment.
• Downstream measures under consideration include digital ID cards, expanded right-to-work checks and a new Border Security Command empowered to target smuggling networks.