Labour forced to re-write 'one in, one out' migrant deal with France

Labour has been forced to re-write the "one in, one out" migrant deal with France after a loophole allowed migrants deported to Paris to re-enter Britain illegally.

British ministers and their French counterparts have agreed to amend the flagship treaty signed last year amid concerns migrants have returned to the UK in lorries.

Officials from the Home Office have confirmed the one-in, one-out treaty has been extended until October before a decision is made on whether it will be made permanent.

While the scheme was set to expire at the end of this month, a three-month extension has now been agreed to cover the summer months in the Channel, when more crossings tend to take place.

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The Home Office has now drawn up a new classification of migrant, known as a "Returnee Case", to deport people who have "previously been removed" under the scheme, reports The Times.

According to the official documents, the new classification was created following concerns dozens of migrants sent back to France may have subsequently come back into Britain in the back of lorries and other routes.

On Saturday, GB News exclusively revealed that more than 10,000 migrants crossed the Channel this year. On Saturday alone, 236 small boat migrants were taken into the Kent port.

Earlier this week, French authorities said they had intercepted two-thirds of all attempted migrant crossings.

According to official figures, the UK has removed 921 small boat migrants back to France since the treaty came into effect on August 6.

This represents around 3.5 per cent of all those who have arrived on small boats during the same period.

As part of the deal, the UK has accepted 896 asylum seekers in exchange from France. Only migrants who have arrived in small boats can be returned.

While at least four people travelled back to the UK by lorry over a two-week period in March, following at least two others in the autumn, precise number of "one in, one out" migrants who have re-entered the UK to live under the radar is not known as many do not alert authorities.

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On top of this, there are concerns in both England and France organised crime groups are exploiting the terms of the deal by smuggling migrants through other means.

This includes in the back of lorries, in order to avoid being removed to France again by the UK.

In order to close this possible loophole, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has agreed with her French counterpart, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, to apply the treaty to any returning migrant who enters the UK illegally, regardless of their method.

In a letter to Mr Nuñez, Ms Mahmood said: "Following our recent meeting which allowed us to observe the quality of the cooperation established under the Agreement...I wish to propose an addition to the Objectives of the Agreement, explicitly adding the objective of deterring clandestine returns to the United Kingdom by individuals previously transferred to France under the Agreement."

A Home Office spokesman said: "Under our returns agreement with France, we have already removed more than 900 illegal migrants from British soil.

"This contributes to the nearly 70,000 illegal migrants who have been returned from July 2024 to March 31 2026, up 41 per cent on the 21 months prior."

It follows reports yesterday a migrant has been found dead in a small boat off the coast of Kent.

Officers from Kent Police were called to the Western Docks, Dover where the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Border Security Command Maritime responded to reports of a small boat which entered UK waters.

Exclusive footage from GB News showed forensic investigators examining the dinghy.

A Government spokesman told the People's Channel: "This afternoon, Border Security Command Maritime responded to a small boat that entered UK waters.

"On intercepting this boat, a migrant was found to be unresponsive. Despite medical assistance, we are deeply saddened to confirm that they have since died. Our thoughts are with all those affected. This latest tragedy underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings."

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