Migrant who returned to Britain after ‘one in, one out’ deal being ‘fast tracked’ back to France, Starmer vows
Keir Starmer said the return to France of a migrant who returned to the UK after being deported under a ‘one in, one out’ deal was carried out “quickly”.
Speaking to ITV Meridian, the prime minister said: “The returnee is already in custody. He will now be taken out of the country quickly because we obviously have his details.”
“We know he doesn’t have a claim so we’re going to dispose of him very, very quickly. So the journey back to the UK is completely pointless and it’s really important that I make that clear.”
Asked if the government’s approach to stopping small boats was “messy”, he said no.
The migrant returned to the UK on a small boat, a humiliating blow to Sir Keir and his promise to take back control of Britain’s borders.
On the same day, news emerged that the number of migrants arriving via the English Channel so far this year has exceeded the total for 2024.
The man currently held in an immigration detention center said: Guard she is a victim of modern slavery at the hands of traffickers in northern France.
“If I felt France was safe for me, I would never return to England,” he told the newspaper.
“When we returned to France, we were taken to a shelter in Paris. I did not dare to go out because I was afraid for my life. Smugglers are very dangerous. They always carry guns and knives. Before crossing from France to England for the first time, I fell into the trap of a human trafficking ring in the French forests.
“They took me like a worthless object, forced me to work, harassed me, threatened me with a gun, and told me that I would be killed if I objected even the slightest.
“When I first arrived in the UK I was crying when the Home Office asked me what had happened and I couldn’t talk about it out of embarrassment.”
Only 42 people have so far been sent back to France under the deal, which was announced with great fanfare by Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron in July and is designed to convince migrants that there is no point in making the dangerous Channel crossing; because these people can be sent back directly.
Under the terms, one asylum seeker will be allowed to enter the UK legally from France for every small boat migrant returned.
At the time, Sir Keir hailed it as a “groundbreaking moment” that would turn the tables on people smugglers; but on Wednesday a Downing Street spokesman said the policy was not a “magic solution” to fix the problem.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the government of being in “complete chaos” and being “too weak to make tough decisions to protect our borders”.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson said Labor needed to “back up its big promises with action”.
This is breaking news, more to come…
