Coffee House Shots11 Juli 2025

Sacré bleu! We have a migration deal with France

On today’s podcast: sacré bleu – we have a one-in, one-out migration deal with France. In a press conference yesterday, Keir Starmer and President Macron announced a deal they hope will curb Channel crossings. But, as ever, the devil is in the detail, with some key concerns about the numbers and the time frame. Digital ID cards are also back on the agenda – after an intervention from former MI6 boss Alex Younger on Newsnight. The argument is that they could deter the ‘grey labour force’ and make it harder to work in the UK for those arriving via unauthorised means. It’s the Blairite policy that refuses to go away – but, as Michael Simmons argues, we may already have the infrastructure.

It’s not all rosy for the government, and we could well be heading for economic catastrophe. This follows the publication of the OBR’s Fiscal Risks and Sustainability document. The language is polite, matter-of-fact and bureaucratic. But read between the lines, look at the numbers, and it paints a damning picture of the risks we face as a country. Is a wealth tax the answer?

Lucy Dunn speaks to James Heale and Michael Simmons.

Produced by Oscar Edmondson.

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