A Labour Minister was left spluttering as she was unable to say when Sir Keir’s flagship migrant returns deal with France would resume after the first flight was blocked last night. The Government’s lauded one-in-one-out agreement with Emmanuel Macron was left shattered last night after human rights lawyers successfully blocked the first set of deportations.
One migrant was set to be flown from Heathrow to Paris on an Air France passenger flight on Monday but the flight was postponed amid protests by charities and threats of legal action. Lawyers are also advising many of the 90 Channel migrants who have been detained since the beginning of August ready for their enforced return to France. Instead of a single charter flight carrying a significant group of migrants, the Home Office has opted for daily commercial flights of smaller numbers.
This morning minister Alex Davies-Jones could not say when the government will resume attempts to return illegal migrants to France.
She insisted the government would not give a “running commentary” on its policy, claiming this would give people smugglers “exactly what they want”.
She told Times Radio: “I’m not going to comment or give a running commentary on what is happening here. We are doing this as soon as we can, and we’re looking to go even further here under the asylum bill.
“These deportations will be happening as soon as possible. I’m not going to be giving a running commentary on what is happening, but we are delivering for the British people on their priorities.”
“If I was to break down for you exactly a time-by-time, day-by-day movement on our returns policy, then that would be giving these abhorrent people smugglers exactly what they want.
“This would be allowing them to know what the government is doing when, and they would be able to respond to that. We are not going to be doing them any favours.”
This morning political commentator Andrew Neil said the delay was “no surprise”, and that Sir Keir had brought the chaos upon himself.
The former BBC political host blasted: “Keir Starmer was part of the lawfare movement which elevated rule by lawyers and the courts above rule by elected politicians. He is reaping what he sowed.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp raged: “Labour failed to deport a single illegal immigrant yesterday as they had promised – the flight took off without a single one on board. Only yesterday I told the new Home Secretary they need to completely repeal the Human Rights Act for immigration matters, but she refused and this is the predictable result.
“This Labour government is too weak to control our borders. Their 16-in-one-out deal would see 94% of illegal immigrants crossing the channel allowed to stay, and they are so weak and incompetent they can’t even make that happen.
“The new Home Secretary is just as ineffective as the last one. The government’s latest gimmick is a joke.”