Britain on Thursday returned the first migrant to France under a new ‘one-in, one-out’ deal, both governments confirmed, as London bids to curb highly contentious cross-Channel small boat arrivals.
‘A man who arrived in the UK by small boat in August was removed on a commercial flight this morning,’ the UK interior ministry said.
The French government also confirmed the removal, with a source there telling AFP an Indian national had been deported from Britain.
The UK ministry called the move ‘another major step in the government’s action to dismantle the criminal networks’ organising the perilous Channel journeys and ‘profiting from human misery’.
‘Further flights are due to take place this week and next week,’ it added, noting the first arrivals from France through the new legal route agreed in July were expected ‘in the coming days’.
Under the scheme, the UK can detain and return small boat migrants arriving across the Channel if they are deemed ineligible for asylum, including those who have passed through a ‘safe country’ to reach UK shores.
In return, London will accept an equal number of migrants from France who can apply for a UK visa via an online platform under the pilot scheme, which came into force in August and is set to run until June 2026.
Embattled prime minister Keir Starmer agreed the scheme with French president Emmanuel Macron just over two months ago, as the UK leader tries to deter the politically toxic crossings.
Tens of thousands of migrants have arrived annually on the shores of southeast England in recent years, to growing domestic anger and helping to fuel the rise of Brexit figurehead Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK Party.
It has led in the polls in Britain for much of this year.
The journeys across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes have also repeatedly proved fatal for those trying to reach the UK.
At least 23 people have died so far this year in incidents linked to crossings in overcrowded dinghies, according to an AFP tally based on official French data.
Thursday’s removal comes days after the High Court in London temporarily blocked the planned deportation of an Eritrean migrant, to the ire of the UK government.
More than 90 migrants who recently arrived to the UK on small boats have been detained for deportation to France, according to charities.
France will make its first repatriations from Saturday, its interior ministry has previously said.
