A third individual has been sent back to France under the “one in, one out” agreement designed to tackle small boat Channel crossings.
Home Office sources confirmed the Iranian national was returned on Friday.
This came after an Eritrean man was removed earlier the same day following his unsuccessful High Court challenge, and an Indian citizen was deported on Thursday.
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The first flights bringing asylum seekers from France to the UK under this arrangement are anticipated next week, according to the source.
Whilst declining to specify exact figures, the source indicated numbers would likely be “at or close to parity”, reflecting the “one in, one out” structure of the agreement.
Government ministers have welcomed these returns, with Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy describing them as providing an “immediate deterrent” for those attempting Channel crossings.
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The Government plans to scale up removals under this pilot scheme in the coming months.
PA news agency analysis reveals 31,031 individuals have completed the crossing this year, with additional arrivals reaching Dover on Friday.
This trajectory suggests 2025 could become a record year for crossings, whilst new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has pledged to do “whatever it takes” to stop them.
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The French agreement allows people arriving in the UK via small boats to be detained and returned across the Channel, with France accepting an equivalent number who have applied through safe and legal pathways. However, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the agreement as having “no deterrent effect whatsoever”, branding the returned numbers as “pathetic” and stating that “boasting about it is absurd”.
Sources from the Home Office highlighted that these were enforced returns, drawing parallels with the previous government’s arrangement with Rwanda – a deal abandoned by Labour – which resulted in four volunteers being sent to the East African country over a two-year period.