The UK government's "one in, one out" deal with France, intended to help deter small boat arrivals, is expected to expire today, Thursday 1 October 2026, government sources have stated. The agreement ran for 423 days, from 10 July 2025.
Under the deal, one asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK in a small boat was returned to France in exchange for another brought legally to the UK from France. The UK's official explanation for its difficulties was an inability to scale up the numbers of asylum seekers involved as much as desired.
Approximately 1,500 asylum seekers were returned to France, with a similar number brought legally from France to the UK. More than 40,000 people arrived in Britain in small boats during the period the deal was active. Scores of asylum seekers reportedly returned to the UK during the scheme, stating they felt unsafe in France.
France reportedly wanted to end the deal because it did not wish to bear the burden of accepting small boat arrivals back from the UK alone, preferring a broader European agreement. The French interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, questioned why France had to manage the border on its own.
The Home Office has stated it will continue to remove as many small boat arrivals as possible, but noted it is not possible to forcibly remove people to unsafe countries such as Iran, Eritrea, and Sudan.