Nigel Farage blasts new migrant deal with France as 'humiliation for Brexit Britain'

Nigel Farage has declared that Sir Keir Starmer's new migrant deal with France is a "humiliation for Brexit Britain". The Prime Minister unveiled the "groundbreaking" agreement aimed at getting a grip on the Channel crisis at a joint press conference with French president Emmanuel Macron.

Under the pilot scheme, people arriving on small boats can be sent back, with an asylum seeker from France in exchange. But in a post on X, the Reform UK leader said Sir Keir had "bowed down" to "arrogant" Mr Macron.

The arch-Brexiteer said: "This agreement is a humiliation for Brexit Britain. We have acted today as an EU member and bowed down to an arrogant French president."

The Prime Minister set out the plan at the conclusion of Mr Macron's three-day state visit to the UK.

He said: "There is no silver bullet here, but with a united effort, new tactics and a new level of intent, we can finally turn the tables."

Under the "groundbreaking" pilot scheme, "for the very first time, migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order".

"In exchange for every return, a different individual will be allowed to come here via a safe route, controlled and legal, subject to strict security checks and only open to those who have not tried to enter the UK illegally."

The Prime Minister said the plan, which will begin within weeks, "will show others trying to make the same journey that it will be in vain".

Explaining why the UK would take someone in exchange for a returned small boat migrant, Sir Keir said: "We accept genuine asylum seekers because it is right that we offer a haven to those in most dire need.

"But there is also something else, something more practical which is that we simply cannot solve a challenge like stopping the boats by acting alone and telling our allies that we won't play ball.

"That is why today's agreement is so important, because we will solve this, like so many of our problems, by working together."

During the press conference, Mr Macron took a swipe at Brexit as he blamed the UK's departure from the EU for a rise in Channel crossings.

The French president said: "Since Brexit, and I'm saying all this quite honestly, I know it's not your case, Prime Minister, but many people in your country explained that Brexit would make it possible to fight more effectively against illegal immigration.

"But it's in fact since Brexit (that) the UK has no migratory agreement with the EU."

It comes as more than 21,000 migrants have made the dangerous journey in rubber dinghies from France so far this year in a new record.