Small Boats

Asylum seekers express dismay at continuation of scheme agreed last year that has failed to stop crossings in ChannelThe Home Office is extending a controversial scheme to stop asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats, the Guardian has learned.The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, signed a deal they hailed as “groundbreaking” last July, known as “one in, one out”. Continue reading...

Negotiations deadlocked as No 10 wants more action by French officials but France has concerns over safetyThe UK’s agreement with France to pay for beach patrols is on the verge of collapse amid wrangling over the number of small boat interceptions and the safety of asylum seekers in French waters.Negotiations over plans to revamp the three-year, £480m deal remain deadlocked, despite the involvement of ministers including Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary. The deal expires at midnight on Tuesday. Continue reading...