When it left the European Union, the United Kingdom exited the EU system for determining which country is responsible for which asylum seekers. This change has been one of several factors behind burgeoning numbers of people attempting to reach UK shores in small boats, an increasing number dying in the process.

To make progress on the small boats issue, the UK government has prioritized improving relations with EU governments. The United Kingdom and France have taken steps to reduce departures from French beaches and to intercept boats shortly after their launch, but the real prize would be a readmissions deal with either France, a small number of EU Member States, or the European Union as a whole.

This policy brief explores the challenge at hand, including why small boat arrivals have surged in recent years and what is known about the people who cross. It then analyzes how a readmissions deal could work, given the legal constraints that both sides are operating within, and it identifies steps that could help make a deal politically viable and impactful in practice. Among them: Creating multipurpose hubs across France that would screen people for lawful pathways to the United Kingdom.