Channel migrants set to be returned to France will be detained “within days”, the Home Office has confirmed. A new “one-in one-out” deal between London and Paris has been ratified and will come into force today, meaning asylum seekers can be “detained immediately” and sent back. The first people to be removed will be detained in the coming days, it is understood, but it is unlikely they will be sent back to France this week as the final plans for the scheme are put in place.
But migrants on the other side of the Channel will be able to apply to come to the UK on a new legal route, prompting fears the agreement is a “gimmick”.
Sir Keir Starmer will only return about 50 migrants a week during the initial stage of the pilot – but sources insist they want to ramp this up.
The trial period is expected to last a year, when the British and French governments will decide on the “long-term future of the arrangements”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “This government has been fixing the foundations of the broken asylum system we inherited and today we send a clear message – if you come here illegally on a small boat you will face being sent back to France.
“This is the product of months of grown-up diplomacy delivering real results for British people as we broker deals no government has been able to achieve and strike at the heart of these vile gangs’ business model.
“The days of gimmicks and broken promises are over – we will restore order to our borders with the seriousness and competence the British people deserve.”
The Home Office has insisted it is ready to fight any legal challenge, with left-wing charities previously vowing to derail the proposals.
More than 25,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, prompting fears Labour has lost control of the borders.
The surge in small boat arrivals has led to fears more than 60,000 migrants could cross this year.
The Home Office says it has set aside cells in its immigration detention estate for migrants to be detained and returned to France.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “For the first time, under this ground-breaking new treaty, people who undertake illegal, dangerous journeys to the UK – putting lives at risk and fuelling organised crime – can be returned to France.
“In return, we will take people who apply legally with appropriate documentation to be transferred to the UK, subject to clear eligibility criteria and stringent security checks.
“This is an important step towards undermining the business model of the organised crime gangs that are behind these crossings – undermining their claims that those who travel to the UK illegally can’t be returned to France.
“Now, as part of our Plan for Change, they can be.
“It is also right to make clear that – while the UK will always be ready to play its part alongside other countries in helping those fleeing persecution and conflict – this must be done in a controlled and managed legal way, not through dangerous, illegal, and uncontrolled routes.
“We will develop the pilot step by step and will trial different approaches as part of it, and alongside this scheme, we will continue to take action at every level to dismantle the criminal enterprise behind this vile trade, boosted by the £100 million in new investment announced this week to support increased enforcement against the gangs.”
The Conservatives on Monday night branded the deal the “migrant surrender treaty”.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Returning just 50 illegal immigrants a week, and probably less, will make no difference whatsoever. This amounts to just 6% of illegal arrivals. Allowing 94% to stay in the UK will be no deterrent at all. This is a gimmick which won’t work.
The Rwanda removals deterrent, under which 100% of illegal arrivals would be removed, was ready to go last summer but Labour cancelled it just days before it was due to start with no proper replacement plan. As a result, this year so far has been the worst ever for illegal immigrants crossing the channel.
Only removing all illegal immigrants upon arrival will provide the necessary deterrent to stop the crossings. This is the Conservative plan, but Labour is too weak to implement it and as a result they have lost control of our borders.”