Overview

• More than 21,100 migrants have crossed by small boat so far in 2025, marking a 56% increase compared to last year and the earliest point at which the 20,000 mark has been passed since 2018.
• French gendarmes are trialing jet-ski-deployed nets to jam dinghy propellers and puncturing boats with knives in shallow waters under a new pilot operation.
• France is advancing legal reforms to allow its police to intercept small boats up to 300 metres from its coastline in response to UK pressure.
• UK and French ministers are finalizing a “one-in, one-out” returns pilot that would swap Channel returnees for asylum seekers with established UK ties.
• Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has launched a nationwide crackdown on illegal gig-economy work by asylum seekers, triggering warnings of a Labour backbench revolt over the bilateral deal.