Migrant who returned to UK to be ‘fast-tracked’ to France, says PM

The deportation of a migrant who returned to the UK on a small boat after being taken to France under a “one in, one out” scheme will be carried out “swiftly”, the Prime Minister has said.

According to reports in the Guardian, the man claimed he was a victim of modern slavery at the hands of trafficking gangs in France.

Speaking to the BBC, Sir Keir Starmer said it was “completely pointless to try to come back here” for the man, who is understood to be an Iranian citizen.

“He’s already in the system, we know who he is, we’ve got him and we’re going to get him out of the country very, very quickly.”

The BBC stated that the man was first detained on August 6, and was deported on September 19, becoming the third person sent to France under this plan. He returned about a month later, on October 18.

More than 40 people who came to the UK illegally have been deported under the scheme since September.

Under the deal, France agreed to take back migrants who had traveled to Britain on a small boat and whose asylum claims had been withdrawn or declared inadmissible.

For every person returned to France, Britain will accept as a refugee someone with a protection case who has not tried to cross the Channel.

The unnamed migrant told the Guardian he returned to the UK because he feared for his life in France.

talking about him Allegation of treatment at the hands of smugglers“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.”

The Home Office has previously said: “We will not accept any abuse of our borders and will do everything we can to remove those who have no legal right to be here.”

Separately, the BBC spoke to an Eritrean man in France who said he had also been sent back as part of the programme.

The man, who asked to be given his name as Jonas, said he fled his country because he feared religious persecution during mandatory military service.

Home Office data published on Thursday shows the total number of migrants arriving in the UK on small boats so far in 2025 is 36,954; This number exceeded the total for the entirety of last year.