Macron’s returns agreement gamble: checkmate or misstep?: A look at the political cost of Emmanuel Macron’s migration deal with Keir Starmer — and whether his gamble will pay off

Anne Daguerre

Macron’s returns agreement gamble: checkmate or misstep? A look at the political cost of Emmanuel Macron’s migration deal with Keir Starmer — and whether his gamble will pay off

Anne Daguerre

School of Business and Law

Research output: Other contribution

Abstract

This UKICE blog post examines the 2025 UK–France pilot deal to return small boat migrants, contextualising it within the broader history of bilateral migration governance. Drawing on insights from field research and the Small Boats documentary, the piece explores Macron’s political motivations, the implications for the Touquet Agreement, and the emerging tensions across EU border states. The analysis highlights the domestic political costs Macron may face, and frames the deal as a diplomatic gamble with uncertain outcomes.

Original language	English
Type	UKICE expert blog analysing the political trade-offs behind Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer’s 2025 migrant returns agreement, and its implications for EU–UK cooperation.
Media of output	online
Publisher	UK in a Changing Europe
Number of pages	1
Publication status	Published - 28 Jul 2025

Bibliographical note

This external publication is hosted by UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) and is subject to their standard copyright terms.

Keywords

asylum seekers
UK-France relations
Migration studies
Macron
Starmer
Border governance

Access to Document

https://ukandeu.ac.uk/macrons-returns-agreement-gamble-checkmate-or-misstep/Licence: Unspecified

Cite this

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title = "Macron{\textquoteright}s returns agreement gamble: checkmate or misstep?: A look at the political cost of Emmanuel Macron{\textquoteright}s migration deal with Keir Starmer — and whether his gamble will pay off",

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Macron’s returns agreement gamble: checkmate or misstep? A look at the political cost of Emmanuel Macron’s migration deal with Keir Starmer — and whether his gamble will pay off. / Daguerre, Anne.
1 p. UK in a Changing Europe. 2025, UKICE expert blog analysing the political trade-offs behind Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer’s 2025 migrant returns agreement, and its implications for EU–UK cooperation..

Research output: Other contribution

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AB - This UKICE blog post examines the 2025 UK–France pilot deal to return small boat migrants, contextualising it within the broader history of bilateral migration governance. Drawing on insights from field research and the Small Boats documentary, the piece explores Macron’s political motivations, the implications for the Touquet Agreement, and the emerging tensions across EU border states. The analysis highlights the domestic political costs Macron may face, and frames the deal as a diplomatic gamble with uncertain outcomes.

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