Join EU migration pact to tackle small boats, says Ed Davey

Liberal Democrat Leader Calls for UK Entry into EU Migration Pact

Ninoda.com – Sir Ed Davey has urged Britain to sign up to the European Union’s Migration and Asylum Pact, framing it as the most effective lever available for dismantling the small-boat crossings that continue to traverse the English Channel. The pact, which entered into force in June after nearly a decade of negotiation, is designed to accelerate asylum processing, boost the number of irregular migrants sent back to their countries of origin, and distribute the burden of hosting asylum seekers more evenly across member states.

The Core Argument: Returning Seekers to Their Point of Entry

Under the pact’s rules, a country that has signed on gains the right to send an asylum seeker back to whichever EU state they first set foot in. Sir Ed contends that this mechanism would eliminate the economic incentive behind the crossings themselves.

“We have a plan that would finally end the small boats crisis: a pact with every EU country that will allow us to return people who come over the Channel, taking away the major pull factor that [Reform UK leader Nigel] Farage and co created and destroying the business model of the criminal gangs.”

The Liberal Democrats maintain that the number of asylum seekers the UK would be obliged to accept under the scheme would fall below the volume currently arriving by small boat, and that every individual would undergo screening before being permitted entry. They also highlight the financial contrast: participation costs roughly £100 million per year, a small fraction of the £5 billion the party describes as being poured into a “failing asylum system.”

Labour’s Position and the Brexit Debate

The governing Labour party has pointed to tangible results from its own bilateral work with European neighbours. A spokesperson noted that more than 47,000 crossings had been prevented over a two-year span and that 70,000 people lacking legal status in Britain had been removed from the country.

“There’s more to do and that will only happen by working in collaboration with the EU.”

Some Labour MPs have gone further, arguing that Brexit itself contributed to the surge in Channel crossings. Reform UK has pushed back sharply, labelling such assertions “complete misinformation” and insisting that EU membership never made it simpler to repatriate asylum seekers.

What the Pact Actually Changes

The new framework supersedes earlier arrangements, most notably the Dublin Regulation, which had permitted member states to bounce asylum seekers back to the country of first arrival. That older protocol drew sustained criticism for overloading border nations such as Italy and Greece, which absorb the largest share of arrivals.

In its place, the pact introduces a solidarity mechanism centred on a pool of approximately 30,000 asylum seekers to be redistributed among the 27 member states. A participating country that declines to take in a given individual may instead remit €20,000 (around £17,000) per person. Mandatory screening and a refreshed tracking database are also built into the rules. Anyone aged six or older arriving in the bloc will have biometric data captured and stored on the Eurodac system, with identity checks designed to catch those posing security or public-health risks before they slip through undetected.

The UK government has signalled its desire to regain access to Eurodac, a capability lost in the aftermath of Brexit.

Practical Hurdles for London

Adopting the pact would not be straightforward. It demands unanimous consent from every EU member state. Domestically, Westminster would need to enact fresh legislation to implement the agreement and could be required to align its own asylum procedures with EU standards.

The Numbers Behind the Channel Crossings

Between 1 January and 8 August 2026, a total of 14,819 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France — a 43% decline on the equivalent period a year earlier. Small-boat arrivals have been the most frequent route by which people are detected entering Britain illegally since 2020, and nearly every individual who arrives this way files an asylum claim. Under international law, claimants are entitled to remain in the country while their application is adjudicated. Small-boat arrivals accounted for 42% of all asylum applications filed between April 2025 and March 2026.