More than 7,000 asylum seekers have entered the UK and just seven have been returned to France since Sir Keir Starmer's "one-in, one-out" deal has been in force, GB News can reveal.
The proposal, signed into law on August 3, ensures illegal migrants face deportation to France, provided the UK takes an eligible asylum seeker who has a link to Britain.
Migrants were first detained under the Anglo-French accord on August 6, with an Indian national becoming the first migrant sent back across the Channel on September 18.
Following a victory for the Home Office in the High Court, an Eritrean man, a Sudanese national and an Iranian man have also been sent packing.
However, the People’s Channel can reveal that the “one-in, one-out” deal has done little to deter migrants from making the perilous 21-mile journey from Calais to Kent.
More than 3,500 migrants completed Channel crossings via small boats in August, with all new arrivals coming after the deal was signed into law.
Meanwhile, September has witnessed an additional 4,073 migrants arrive on British shores to date.
GB News can exclusively confirm that 886 migrants other migrants arrived in Dover today, marking the first set of crossings in more than a week.
Top Tory and Reform UK figures have suggested that the continuous wave of arrivals proves the "one-in, one-out" deal is not deterring migrants hoping to cross the Channel.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told GB News: “This meagre deal is a desperate gimmick from Labour.
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Sir Keir Starmer's 'one-in, one-out' deal with France came into force on August 3
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"Letting in 7,000 people while removing only seven will not deter anyone.
"Even if the scheme works as intended, 94 per cent of illegal channel immigrants will be able to stay.
"No wonder Channel crossings have surged under Labour and the eight months of this year have been the worst in history.
"We need to get rid of the Human Rights Act for all immigration matters and deport every single illegal immigrant the moment they arrive. Then the crossings would soon end.”
Reform UK’s policy tsar Zia Yusuf also warned: "This Government is making a fool of themselves and the British public.
"They refuse to leave the ECHR and disapply international treaties, which means activist judges will continue to prevent deportations. Only Reform will do what it takes to restore Britain’s sovereignty."
Rob Bates, research director at the Centre for Migration Control, added: "The deal with France has failed spectacularly. The Government has clearly abandoned all hope of actually tackling the illegal migration crisis and is now resorting to gimmicks in a vain attempt to deceive the British public.
"This chaos will only end when we have a prime minister who is prepared to put the British people first and end our humiliating adherence to the ECHR."
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Small boats have steadily increased between 2018 and 2025
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However, the Home Office has pointed out that removals and deportations stood at 35,000 in Labour's first year in power.
Despite the 13 per cent increase compared to the previous year, just 9,115 were recorded as enforced returns, meaning an overwhelming majority were voluntary returns.
Following his General Election victory last July, Sir Keir opted to axe Rishi Sunak's Rwanda scheme.
The plan, which cost taxpayers £310million before being cancelled, was touted by Tories as a key deterrent to migrants in Calais.
However, between the date of the passage of the now-repealed Safety of Rwanda Act in late April 2024 and last year’s General Election, Channel crossings stood at just over 7,600.
The daily average over that period was significantly lower than the 141 average made since the “one-in, one-out” deal came into force, sitting at around 107 over the 71 days before Labour’s 2024 General Election victory.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has recently suggested that the "one-in, one-out" deal with France will act as a deterrent to migrants in Calais.
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GB News can also confirm that at least 300 other migrants have either arrived in UK waters already or are currently still trying to cross today, taking the monthly figure to at least 3,487
| PASpeaking earlier this week, Ms Mahmood said: “You start with a small first step and then you ramp up, which is exactly what we're going to be doing.
“I want us to get to a point where the numbers that are being removed are acting as a deterrent and stop people getting on the boats in the first place.”
Sir Keir, who this week admitted Labour had "got it wrong" on migration, is also hoping his proposal to introduce Digital ID will stem the tide by making it harder for those crossing the Channel to work in the black economy.
However, pressure mounts on the Home Office to get a grip of the migrant crisis after GB News revealed that Sir Keir's first year in power witnessed a 40 per cent surge in Channel crossings.
More than 44,000 migrants had completed the journey when Sir Keir marked his anniversary in power, with the figure hitting almost 56,000 on the eve of the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
Sir Keir’s 15-month total, which now stands at 56,545, is already 6,000 higher than the total accumulated across the almost 22 months that Mr Sunak spent in power.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir is now just 9,200 behind Boris Johnson’s 39-month overall figure of 65,815.
Arrivals for 2025 are already ahead of the total in the record-busting year of 2022
|GB NEWS
The combined total number of arrivals since Channel crossings began in 2018 has now exceeded 185,000, roughly equating to the population of Sunderland.
This year might also mark the worst calendar year for Channel crossings to date.
More than 33,000 migrants have already completed the 21-mile journey, making it worse than 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023 within just nine months.
The figure is likely to exceed the 36,816 recorded in 2024 over the coming weeks, putting 2025 in line with the record-busting 45,755 migrant arrivals amassed in 2022.
At the same point in 2022, the number of migrant arrivals tallied around 500 arrivals behind where they are today, with the figure only exceeding 33,000 on October 1.
However, Ms Mahmood is preparing to defend Labour’s record tackling the Channel crossing during her speech in Liverpool next week.
Ahead of the Labour Party Conference, Ms Mahmood confirmed she will do “whatever it takes” to secure Britain’s borders.
Ms Mahmood, who only replaced Yvette Cooper in the Home Office earlier this month, added: “These small boat crossings are utterly unacceptable and the vile people-smugglers behind them are wreaking havoc on our borders.
Shabana Mahmood is preparing to defend Labour’s record tackling the Channel crossing during her speech in Liverpool tomorrow
| PA"Thanks to our deal with France, people crossing in small boats can be detained and the first removals have now begun.
"Protecting the UK border is my priority as Home Secretary and I will explore all options to restore order to our immigration system."
However, the Home Office is facing similar struggles that Mr Sunak faced over the implementation of his Rwanda scheme.
Sir Keir’s Government was earlier this week refused permission to appeal against a temporary injunction blocking an Eritrean man from being removed to France.
The 25-year-old, who arrived in the UK on a small boat in August and was expected to fly out to France on September 17, was handed a last-minute reprieve when the High Court gave him at least 14 days to make representations to support his claim that he is a victim of modern slavery.
Small boat arrivals have outpaced both Boris Johnson's and Rishi Sunak's under Sir Keir Starmer
|GB NEWS
The Home Office had argued that the injunction risked undermining the new returns policy.
However, the Court of Appeal ruled against Home Office lawyers.
Defending the “one-in, one-out” deal, a Home Office spokesman added: “It is completely misleading to compare small boat arrivals to the number of returns under the pilot scheme.
“Since July 5, 2024, we have returned more than 35,000 people which is thirteen per cent more than the same period 12 months prior.
“We have been clear from the outset that this pilot will be developed step by step, with different approaches trialled along the way, and alongside it.
"We are taking action at every level to dismantle the criminal networks behind this vile trade in human lives.”