diff --git a/packages/block-editor/src/components/block-list/block.js b/packages/block-editor/src/components/block-list/block.js
index 01196254ed682c..c0f2de4077d32c 100644
--- a/packages/block-editor/src/components/block-list/block.js
+++ b/packages/block-editor/src/components/block-list/block.js
@@ -464,7 +464,23 @@ const applyWithDispatch = withDispatch( ( dispatch, ownProps, registry ) => {
 					return;
 				}
 
-				if ( getBlockOrder( nextBlockClientId ).length ) {
+				// Forward deleting an unmodified default block should
+				// remove it and move into the next block, not pull the
+				// next block's first item out of it.
+				if ( isUnmodifiedDefaultBlock( getBlock( clientId ) ) ) {
+					// Select the first leaf block, so the caret starts at
+					// the beginning of the block's content rather than on
+					// a container's shell.
+					let firstLeafClientId = nextBlockClientId;
+					while ( getBlockOrder( firstLeafClientId ).length ) {
+						firstLeafClientId =
+							getBlockOrder( firstLeafClientId )[ 0 ];
+					}
+					registry.batch( () => {
+						removeBlock( clientId );
+						selectBlock( firstLeafClientId );
+					} );
+				} else if ( getBlockOrder( nextBlockClientId ).length ) {
 					moveFirstItemUp( nextBlockClientId, false );
 				} else {
 					mergeBlocks( clientId, nextBlockClientId );
diff --git a/test/e2e/specs/editor/various/splitting-merging.spec.js b/test/e2e/specs/editor/various/splitting-merging.spec.js
index d2b8191a95e4a2..4f3097b877ae1f 100644
--- a/test/e2e/specs/editor/various/splitting-merging.spec.js
+++ b/test/e2e/specs/editor/various/splitting-merging.spec.js
@@ -277,6 +277,62 @@ test.describe( 'splitting and merging blocks (@firefox, @webkit)', () => {
 		] );
 	} );
 
+	test( 'should forward delete an empty paragraph without breaking apart the next block', async ( {
+		editor,
+		page,
+	} ) => {
+		await editor.insertBlock( { name: 'core/paragraph' } );
+		await editor.insertBlock( {
+			name: 'core/list',
+			innerBlocks: [
+				{ name: 'core/list-item', attributes: { content: 'one' } },
+				{ name: 'core/list-item', attributes: { content: 'two' } },
+			],
+		} );
+
+		await editor.canvas
+			.getByRole( 'document', { name: 'Empty block' } )
+			.click();
+
+		await expect.poll( editor.getBlocks ).toMatchObject( [
+			{ name: 'core/paragraph', attributes: { content: '' } },
+			{
+				name: 'core/list',
+				innerBlocks: [
+					{
+						name: 'core/list-item',
+						attributes: { content: 'one' },
+					},
+					{
+						name: 'core/list-item',
+						attributes: { content: 'two' },
+					},
+				],
+			},
+		] );
+
+		await page.keyboard.press( 'Delete' );
+		await page.keyboard.type( '|' );
+
+		// The empty paragraph is removed and the list is left intact, with
+		// the caret at the start of its first item.
+		await expect.poll( editor.getBlocks ).toMatchObject( [
+			{
+				name: 'core/list',
+				innerBlocks: [
+					{
+						name: 'core/list-item',
+						attributes: { content: '|one' },
+					},
+					{
+						name: 'core/list-item',
+						attributes: { content: 'two' },
+					},
+				],
+			},
+		] );
+	} );
+
 	test( 'should remove empty paragraph block on backspace', async ( {
 		editor,
 		page,