The United Kingdom and France extended a joint pilot programme known as “one in, one out” until October, keeping in place a key plank of their efforts to curb small-boat crossings in the English Channel. The Home Office confirmed the extension of the initiative, first agreed upon last July by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. The leaders described the arrangement as “groundbreaking” at the time. The pilot sits alongside wider bilateral work to disrupt smuggling networks, step up joint patrols on the French coast, and coordinate case handling for people who attempt the irregular sea route. Crossings have continued since the pilot began, and the decision extends the scheme through the late summer period, when calmer seas often bring higher activity.
Officials say the programme aims to manage irregular arrivals more tightly while maintaining cooperation with French authorities on enforcement and search-and-rescue coordination. Advocacy groups and some asylum seekers have criticised cross-Channel enforcement measures in recent years, warning that deterrence tools do not address the reasons people attempt the journey. The extension keeps the pilot in place as both governments continue to balance border control, maritime safety, and asylum processing obligations.
When and where: The Home Office confirmed the extension in the UK. Media coverage of the move appeared on 16 May 2026.
What the extension covers
The “one in, one out” pilot remains a bilateral effort linking UK and French operations in the Channel and along the northern French coast. The governments have not released full operational details in public statements. Officials frame the pilot as part of a broader package designed to reduce dangerous crossings, return people without a right to remain under applicable rules, and support managed, legal pathways where available.
Extending the pilot through October means both countries will keep joint mechanisms in place through the peak travel season on the Channel. UK and French agencies continue coordinated patrols, information-sharing, and case handling under the arrangements associated with the pilot. Authorities say the focus remains on disrupting organised criminal groups that profit from small-boat launches and on reducing repeat attempts.
Background on UK–France cooperation in the Channel
The extension builds on several years of cross-Channel agreements. In March 2023, the UK pledged hundreds of millions of euros over three years to support French patrols, technology, and a new detention facility in northern France. That agreement increased coastal surveillance, added drones and mobile radar, and expanded joint coordination cells. The aim was to detect and prevent departures, seize equipment, and arrest smuggling facilitators.
Those measures followed earlier joint work that placed British liaison officers in French operations centers and funded vehicle, dog, and patrol units. France has reported thousands of disrupted crossing attempts over recent years, while UK agencies have increased arrests of suspected facilitators linked to the small-boat route. Both governments have said their goal is to make the Channel crossing non-viable while upholding maritime rescue obligations.
Trends in crossings and prior outcomes
Small-boat arrivals to the UK rose sharply in 2021 and 2022 before falling in 2023. Official Home Office figures recorded 45,774 arrivals in 2022, followed by a decline to 29,437 in 2023. Crossings have continued in 2024 and 2025, often fluctuating with weather conditions and enforcement pressure on departure points along the coast. Authorities in both countries report that smugglers change routes and tactics when patrol patterns shift.
The Channel route has seen repeated tragedies in recent years, including mass-casualty incidents. UK and French rescue agencies cooperate closely under international maritime law, which requires states to render assistance to people in distress at sea. Officials have said that reducing small-boat departures remains central to preventing further loss of life.
Legal and policy setting in the UK
The UK government has pursued multiple measures to address irregular arrivals. The Illegal Migration Act 2023 restricts access to the UK asylum system for those who arrive without permission by irregular routes, such as small boats. The government has also sought returns agreements with European partners on a bilateral basis, as the UK no longer participates in the EU’s Dublin system after Brexit. Authorities continue to state that legal migration routes should be used for protection claims where available.
The “one in, one out” pilot operates alongside these domestic policies. UK officials have described the broader approach as combining deterrence, enforcement, and alternatives to irregular travel. The Home Office has expanded accommodation sites and casework capacity in response to backlogs in recent years, while also signalling plans for faster decisions and removals in certain categories under existing law.
French operations and coastal enforcement
France has increased patrols along departure beaches in Pas-de-Calais and beyond, boosted by UK funding and its own domestic resources. French authorities say they have expanded controls on equipment such as dinghies and engines, targeted supply chains supporting smuggling networks, and stepped up checks near key gathering points. Police and gendarmes conduct regular operations to disperse encampments and to intercept boats before launch.
Local officials in northern France have also called for sustained support to manage the humanitarian impact of encampments and police operations. Aid groups active in the region have provided food, shelter, and legal guidance. French authorities say they coordinate with humanitarian organisations while continuing to prioritise enforcement against smuggling groups and to prevent launches when possible.
Reactions from advocacy groups and communities
Charities including the Refugee Council and Care4Calais have previously criticised cross-Channel enforcement strategies. In public statements over recent years, they have argued that deterrence policies risk pushing people toward more dangerous routes and do not expand safe, legal pathways at the scale needed. They have also raised concerns about access to asylum procedures and conditions in temporary facilities on both sides of the Channel.
Local communities in coastal areas and along transit routes have faced ongoing pressures linked to crossings, including increased policing, temporary accommodation sites, and short-notice operational deployments. Councils and service providers have asked for predictable funding and clear lines of responsibility between national and local authorities. Government departments in both countries have said they will continue to coordinate with local stakeholders as operations evolve.
Operational focus for the coming months
With the extension in place, UK and French agencies plan to sustain current joint practices through October. This includes coastal surveillance, sea patrols, information-sharing, and case handling under the pilot’s framework. The period between late spring and early autumn typically brings calmer seas, which can coincide with higher attempts, according to prior operational reports by maritime agencies. Authorities expect to maintain search-and-rescue readiness throughout.
Officials have pointed to continued arrests of suspected facilitators and seizures of boats and engines as indicators of pressure on smuggling networks. They also highlight casework outcomes (such as returns of individuals without a right to remain under existing arrangements and decisions on protection claims) as part of the enforcement and processing picture. No change to the UK’s legal framework on asylum processing has been announced as part of this extension.
