The UK Home Office, with the approval of the French government, is set to launch a campaign using posters and leaflets on beaches near Calais and Dunkirk to discourage asylum seekers from attempting dangerous Channel crossings in small boats. The materials, written in English and French, warn that such journeys are life-threatening, that smugglers are deceiving them, and that under the new “one in, one out” deal, they risk being returned to France. The deal, confirmed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July, allows the UK to return one person who entered the country irregularly for every asylum seeker taken from France whose claim is deemed likely to succeed.
The campaign marks the first attempt to directly dissuade asylum seekers in France from traveling to the UK and forms part of the Home Office’s changed stance on small boat crossings. Since Labour came to power in July 2024, more than 50,000 people have crossed the Channel, with one day last week seeing 1,097 arrivals. The initiative follows recent tragedies, including the death of a woman when her overcrowded dinghy suffered a “catastrophic deflation” near Dover.
Refugee organisations have criticized the campaign as ineffective, calling for practical measures such as safe, legal routes and guidance from trusted organisations like the Red Cross or UNHCR. The Home Office has defended the initiative as a vital tool to warn migrants of the dangers and to enforce border security, but details on the campaign’s cost have not been disclosed.
Officials say the first returns under the new deal are expected “within weeks,” initially involving about 50 people.
