Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Éléonore Caroit , a National Assembly member for President Macron's Renaissance Party, tells the BBC that migrant crossings are a "common challenge" facing the UK and France.

"The first reason we need to do this is that people are dying," she tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"Co-operation is needed, especially after Brexit. I welcome any deal... but I am not sure that will totally stop the situation."

Caroit says the "one in, one out" deal being suggested this morning "might be acceptable to the French electorate".

"If there is a perception that this will ultimately limit the people that come to our country just to go to yours - then that will be acceptable," she says. "But I am afraid that will not be enough.

"People will try over and over again if so long as they see Britain as an attractive country where they could ultimately end their journey."

Christa Rottensteiner, the chief of mission for the UN's migration agency, says although the details of the deal are yet to emerge, it is "really positive to see a joint commitment by the two governments to tackle irregular crossings because these are really dangerous journeys".

Speaking to 5 Live Breakfast, Rottensteiner says the International Organization for Migration (IOM) observed a record number of migrant deaths in the Channel last year, with more than 80 people dying, including 14 children.

"This is the crisis leaders need to address. That people take dangerous journeys and they die when they do so," Rottensteiner adds.

Given the ongoing war in Sudan, the IOM says Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict are a nationality that is increasingly seen on boats.

"We need to look at the countries they’re coming from, trying to solve the crisis and increase humanitarian aid. Sadly at the moment, we’re seeing the opposite," she adds.

Daniel Wittenberg
Senior producer

As the UK and France continued to thrash out a potential deal to address small boat crossings, Emmanuel Macron offered a critique of Britain’s ability to handle migration after Brexit during an appearance at Imperial College London on Wednesday.

“Let me share with you a very politically incorrect issue, post-Brexit in this country,” said Macron, a longstanding critic of the UK's departure from the EU.

"I’m not sure you fixed migration and financial issues post-Brexit much better than with the EU.

“I’m sure about one thing: having close links is the best way to fix our critical issues on research, science, AI, and so on.”

President Macron was speaking at a panel event to promote closer cooperation between the UK and France on AI and other technology.

Image source, Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

It's a busy morning for Defence Secretary John Healey on the media round, who's speaking now to BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The significance of today's summit "shouldn't be overlooked" as Labour sets about "resetting Britain's relations with Europe", as it said it would at the election, Healey argues.

"It has allowed us on small boats to start doing things that simply weren't happening before," he says.

He also mentions strengthening defence and coordinating on nuclear efforts with France.

"Negotiations take time," Healey adds, but they will work together to strengthen Nato and reinforce deterrents that Europe can offer against future opponents.

Before the Labour government took power just over a year ago, they outlined their plans to tackle migration.

Once it took over, it abolished the outgoing Conservatives' Rwanda scheme, which proposed that any asylum seeker illegally entering the UK from a safe country, such as France, could be sent to the east African nation to have their claims processed.

“Rather than a serious plan to confront this crisis, the Conservatives have offered nothing but desperate gimmicks,” goes Labour's manifesto on the scheme.

Instead, it proposed to "smash" people smuggling gangs, by hiring more border security, working internationally, seeking a new security agreement with the EU and setting up a new returns and enforcement unit.

The manifesto reads: “Labour will turn the page and restore order to the asylum system so that it operates swiftly, firmly, and fairly; and the rules are properly enforced.”

Tom Edgington
BBC Verify

As of 6 July, 21,117 people have arrived in the UK in small boats - up almost 56% compared with the same period last year.

The proposed deal, being discussed today, would allow the UK to send illegal migrants who have crossed the Channel back to France.

In return, the UK would accept asylum seekers from France with a UK connection - such as family ties.

Madeleine Sumption from the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford told BBC Verify that the EU and Turkey introduced a similar scheme in 2016.

However, she says, it was used alongside other measures - including physically intercepting boats - making it hard to judge the effectiveness of the "one in, one out" scheme alone.

For any scheme to be successful, she says there has to be a strong disincentive: "The core idea is to try and create a disincentive for people to cross.

"If a high share of people are sent [to France], many people will know about it and it will have an impact as it changes people’s assessment.

"On the other hand, if you send a small percentage people will just see it as another risk."

As a reminder, the pilot stage of the deal would see around 50 migrants sent back to France each week - a small fraction of the average weekly number of arrivals, which is around 800 so far this year.

Defence Secretary John Healey has just been speaking to BBC Breakfast.

On the "one in, one out" migrant deal, yet to be confirmed, he says any agreement is for the leaders to announce - but emphasises this is the "first summit from a state visit from a European ally since Brexit".

"On small boats, we have now the understanding and acceptance that this is a shared challenge for the first time... and we're starting to see already some of the results from that," he says, citing increased beach and drone patrols.

Pushed on the deterrent factors, he says there's no "quick fix".

He adds they need to step up action with the French, and have more action coming to tackle the gangs behind smuggling.

Chris Mason
Political editor

The key word today, and it is freighted with politics, is "deterrent".

The prime minister has said both he and President Macron agree on the need for "a new deterrent to break the business model of the gangs".

The big question is the extent to which what is agreed to today amounts to that, particularly in the short term.

Will it put people off getting in a small boat?

The pilot scheme is expected to involve around 50 migrants a week being returned to France, in return for the UK taking the same number of asylum seekers in France who are deemed to have a legitimate case to move to the UK.

Critics, including the Conservatives, say this would amount to about 5% of those who currently are attempting crossing and so would be an inadequate deterrent.

The Tories point to the deterrent they planned but never got started — the idea of sending migrants to Rwanda. This scheme was scrapped when Labour won the election.

But it is true to say this new agreement, albeit limited in scale initially, marks a new moment in Franco-British diplomacy on this issue — the willingness of France to take back some of those who embark on the cross Channel journey.

The test, in the months and years ahead, can it be scaled up sufficiently to make a noticeable impact on the numbers. Or, to put it more bluntly, do the numbers attempting a crossing start to fall, or not?

Because unless they do, the scheme, on this side of the Channel at least, is likely to be seen as a failure.

As the UK and France try to reach a deal to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats, the BBC's Sofia Bettiza has spoken to migrants in Calais.

"We're going to try again and again," one migrant says. Watch her interviews below.

Image source, PA Media

On Wednesday, the prime minister’s spokesman said the government has been "addressing" what French President Emmanuel Macron said were "migration pull factors" that encourage migrants to try to reach the UK.

Macron said the UK and France "would only arrive at the lasting and effective solution" to small boat crossings if the "pull factors" were addressed.

When asked if Starmer agreed, the PM’s spokesman said: "We’ve been addressing that very issue since taking power."

The spokesman said the government was "toughening every part of the system to ensure the rules are enforced and respected", including the ability of small boat migrants to find work.

He said illegal working undermined businesses and wages, adding "the British public won’t stand for it and neither will this government".

"That’s why we’ve surged illegal working raids and arrests," the PM’s spokesman said, "to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats."

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Today is the end of President Macron’s three day state visit, and — probably — the start of a new phase in efforts to confront the small boats issue.

Since the crossings began in 2018, France has resisted pressure to take back those who have made the dangerous journey across the Channel.

Now senior UK government figures believe they are on the cusp of achieving that breakthrough. And for each individual France takes back, it would transfer one asylum seeker to the UK — somebody deemed to have a genuine reason to seek sanctuary here.

It’s being called a "one in, one out" deal, though it would involve greater numbers than that.

As an initial pilot, around 50 migrants would be sent each way, each week. Whether the numbers are enough to deter others willing to cross the Channel in small boats is the critical question.

To reduce the number of English Channel crossings, the government has pledged to disrupt the people-smuggling gangs behind them - one of Labour's key manifesto pledges in 2024 was to "smash the gangs".

As the below graph of Home Office figures shows, as of 6 July, a total of 21,117 people had arrived in the UK in small boats in 2025.

This is up by around 56% compared with the same period in 2024.

From 2 July to 8 July, 695 migrants have arrived in the UK in 11 small boats, according to the latest Home Office data., external

Damian Grammaticas
Political correspondent

The deal that’s been under discussion envisages the UK returning migrants to France.

For each individual taken back, France would transfer one asylum seeker to the UK, probably someone with a family connection or genuine reason to seek sanctuary here.

What’s not known are the potential numbers involved and whether final details could be agreed this week.

Both countries have promised they will make progress on "new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent" to "break the business model" of the gangs smuggling people across the Channel.

Image source, PA Media

As part of a defence agreement the two nations will sign later today, France and the UK will both order more long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

The Anglo-French weapons, described as "highly lethal" in the government's announcement, are produced at a facility in Stevenage.

Both countries will also commit to "stepping up work" on developing a replacement for the Storm Shadow, which the government says will support 1,300 jobs across the UK.

The long-range missile, called Scalp in France, is considered ideal for penetrating hardened bunkers and ammunition stores, such as those used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.

The BBC understands Ukraine used the missiles against targets inside Russia for the first time late last year.

• Read more about the Storm Shadow missile here

Ian Aikman
Live reporter

Both Sir Keir and Macron have expressed a desire to reach an agreement aimed at tackling small boat crossings in the Channel. It's expected to be a key focus of the joint summit today.

So far, no details of a potential deal have been made public, but some of this morning's papers include reports of what's been discussed behind closed doors.

According to the Times and the Sun, the UK will return 50 migrants a week to France under a pilot scheme that could be extended in the future. This means one in 17 migrants who arrive in small boats will be returned to France, according to the Times' calculations.

Britain would accept the same number of asylum seekers with a UK family connection in a "one for one" exchange, the Times reports. The Sun highlights opposition to this potential deal, with its headline describing it as a "kick in the Gauls".

But the Guardian's front page suggests a deal might not be reached at all this week, with aides on both sides saying there were still "several significant hurdles" to overcome just hours before the summit.

• Read more about today's newspaper headlines

Damian Grammaticas
Political correspondent

At this summit, the UK and France are promising that they will make progress on "new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent" to "break the business model" of the gangs smuggling people across the Channel.

The deal that’s been under discussion envisages the UK returning migrants to France. For each individual taken back, France would transfer one asylum seeker to the UK, probably someone with a family connection or genuine reason to seek sanctuary here.

What’s not known are the potential numbers involved and whether final details could be agreed this week.

When it comes to defence, the UK and France will sign a declaration saying that their independent nuclear deterrents could, in future, be co-ordinated, if an adversary was threatening either country, and there were no extreme threats they would not confront together.

There will also be joint development of new missiles and air defences, and support for Ukraine.

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning and welcome to our final day of coverage for Emmanuel Macron's state visit to the UK.

This morning, the French president will meet the British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, as the pair prepare to host the 37th Franco-British Summit in London.

They'll lead their respective teams in a round of talks through the morning. It's widely expected they will emerge with a deal on small boat crossings, as it comes just one day after Downing Street said France and the UK had agreed that the two countries needed a new deterrent to tackle the issue.

Defence commitments will also probably feature, as well as Ukraine, particularly when the two leaders spearhead a meeting of the "coalition of the willing" on the sidelines of the summit.

We'll bring you all the latest analysis and updates here on this page - stick with us.