A Migrant Returns to the UK Despite Deportation Scheme
A second migrant has returned to Britain by small boat after being deported under Labour’s ‘one in, one out’ scheme. This incident occurred on Remembrance Sunday, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by the government in managing the Channel crisis.
The unnamed migrant made his way back to the UK across the Channel, marking another setback for the initiative. This comes just days after the first ‘back-and-forth’ migrant was finally deported again. The situation has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the scheme, which was intended to address the growing number of migrants attempting to cross the Channel.
The ‘hokey cokey’ case, as it has been dubbed, was first reported by GB News and is seen as a significant blow to Labour’s efforts. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the returns deal in July following a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron. The agreement aims to manage the flow of migrants between the UK and France.
So far, 94 migrants have been removed from the UK, while an additional 57 have been brought into the country under the reciprocal terms of the deal. Since the treaty was announced, there have been 17,609 confirmed arrivals across the Channel. On the day of the latest incident, there were approximately 380 arrivals, including the previously-deported man.
In the first instance of a deported migrant returning, an Iranian man arrived in the UK on August 6, the same day the deal with France came into force. He was removed from Britain on September 19. However, he later left a migrant shelter in Paris and headed back to the northern French coast, re-entering the UK on a small boat on October 18. The unnamed man was finally removed for a second time on November 5, 18 days later.
The Home Office stated that the new to-and-fro migrant had been detained, and officials are working to expedite his removal to France. A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “Anyone looking to return to the UK after being removed under the UK-France agreement is wasting their time and money. This individual was detected by biometrics and detained immediately. His case will be expedited, and he will be returned to France as quickly as possible.”
“The message is clear: if you try to return to the UK you will be sent back. We will do whatever it takes to scale up removals of illegal migrants and secure our borders.”
Since Labour came to power last year, 61,968 Channel migrants have reached British soil, not including Sunday’s figure, which is yet to be officially confirmed. The latest incident comes amid concerns that more than 10,000 small boat migrants have reached Britain since Shabana Mahmood became Home Secretary. This grim milestone was reached more quickly than under any of her predecessors since 2022.
The 10,000 point was reached after she was in charge of the Home Office for 66 days. Under her predecessor Yvette Cooper, it took 74 days to reach the same milestone. Ms. Cooper was moved sideways to the Foreign Office by the PM after failing to get a grip on the Channel crisis.
Under Tory home secretaries, the 10,000 point took 171 days under James Cleverly and 583 days under Priti Patel. Only under Suella Braverman was the same point reached more quickly, in 43 days in 2022—the year which saw a record annual number of migrants amid a surge of Albanian arrivals.
These developments raise questions about the effectiveness of Labour’s ‘one in, one out’ scheme with France. With 10,000 migrants reaching Britain but only 26 sent back, many are questioning whether the policy is faltering. Additionally, the border crisis appears to be escalating, with 31,026 migrants arriving this year already, despite Labour’s deal to swap Channel crossers with France.
Can Labour’s ‘one in, one out’ deal with France survive the chaos as just 94 migrants are deported amidst 17,609 new arrivals? Has the UK’s approach to channel crossings under Prime Minister Starmer floundered with migrant numbers soaring over 16,000? Is Keir Starmer’s ‘one in, one out’ policy falling flat as over 1,000 migrants arrive on UK shores despite the government deal with France? These questions remain unanswered as the situation continues to evolve.