The British government has officially scrapped its pilot “one in, one out” deal with France, which was designed to return migrants crossing the English Channel on small boats. Home Office officials confirmed on Wednesday that the bilateral trial is no longer processing new cases, marking the end of a program launched just over a year ago in August 2025.
Under the terms of the agreement-known operationally as Operation Hillmore-the United Kingdom was permitted to return certain small boat arrivals to France in exchange for accepting an identical number of individuals who held recognized claims to enter Britain. Priority for the incoming transfers was given to vulnerable nationalities and people with family or other established links to the UK.
Limited Scale and High Costs Cited for Termination
While the British government originally intended to extend or maintain the arrangement, officials determined that the initiative failed to reach its intended operational scale. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood admitted to MPs earlier in September that the scheme had faced significant operational hurdles.
According to government disclosures, the program cost British taxpayers an average of about £56,000 (€65,500) per migrant returned to France. Data covering the period from August 4, 2025, to June 30, 2026, shows that 1,087 people were returned to France, while 1,117 individuals were transferred to the UK under the framework. Over that same timeframe, 27,920 migrants arrived in the UK via small boats, meaning only about 4% of total arrivals were sent back under the pilot.
“The government’s pilot with France to remove asylum seekers in exchange for an equal number of legal migrants is no longer processing new cases,” a Home Office spokesperson stated. “However, flights will continue over the coming weeks to swiftly remove small boat migrants from the UK, and we will use lessons learned from the pilot to accelerate efforts to return small boat migrants with no right to remain.”
French Pursuit of a Wider European Approach
Negotiations to extend the pilot stalled as Paris pushed for a broader, Europe-wide mechanism rather than bilateral agreements. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told lawmakers in June that while the scheme served as a valuable deterrent, France should not bear the sole responsibility of policing an external border without broader EU coordination.
The French Interior Ministry confirmed that both governments are currently discussing the specific terms of exiting the agreement. Flights carrying individuals already detained under the scheme will continue for a brief transition period before winding down entirely.
Despite the end of the pilot, government officials emphasized that overall channel crossings have decreased. Between January and late September, 19,135 people crossed the Channel in small boats-a 42% reduction compared to the same period in 2025. London and Paris maintain that they will continue working together through joint enforcement and intelligence sharing to disrupt people-smuggling networks operating across northern France.
