More than 400 migrants have crossed the Channel by small boat in just the first two days of the Labour government’s new returns deal with France, casting doubt on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s claims that the treaty would act as a "new deterrent".

According to Home Office figures, 248 migrants were intercepted and brought to Dover by UK Border Force vessels on Thursday alone, following 155 arrivals on Wednesday — the very day the Anglo-French agreement came into effect. That brings the two-day total to 403.

Legal Uncertainty and Criticism

Despite public pronouncements from Downing Street and the Home Office, no figures have yet been disclosed indicating how many migrants are being detained or actually returned to France under the agreement.

The pilot scheme is expected to last just 10 months, and its long-term viability is unclear with the French presidential election looming in mid-2026.

Critics, including opposition figures and commentators, have accused the Prime Minister of "gaslighting the British public" with claims that the new policy would swiftly reverse the tide of illegal crossings.

"The PM is gaslighting the British public," said Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.
"His tweet is a gross exaggeration of what this paltry scheme will do."

Crossings Increase 46% Year-on-Year

The latest data show that 25,839 migrants have crossed the Channel so far in 2025 — a 46% increase compared to the same point last year. That dramatic rise comes despite repeated pledges from both Labour and the previous Conservative government to reduce irregular migration.

In July, the UK and France signed a fresh "returns deal", described by ministers as a "one-in, one-out" agreement, under which migrants arriving illegally in Britain would be detained and sent back to France "in short order."

Images released by the Home Office show the first batch of returnees, dressed in purple tabards, though the total number detained for removal remains undisclosed.

Asylum Hotels Still in Use

While the government says returnees will be held in dedicated detention facilities, it has emerged that three hotels in Bournemouth — once popular with tourists — have been closed to the public for over a year and are now housing migrants.

One holidaymaker who spent £1,400 on a family trip to the area told reporters she was "cross" to find the seafront properties being used for migrant accommodation "at the taxpayers’ expense."

Ministers’ Claims Under Fire

In a recent social media post, Sir Keir Starmer warned:

"If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back."

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper claimed that under the new scheme, "every migrant will be throwing away their money" by attempting to cross the Channel — a statement some legal experts have warned could face challenge in court.

Despite tough rhetoric, government insiders privately admit that the actual number of migrants returned to France is expected to be "a fraction" of those arriving.

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