Kemi Badenoch has launched a scathing attack on Labour's newly implemented migrant agreement with France, declaring that "nothing is being smashed except their reputation."
Speaking to GB News, Badenoch dismissed the bilateral arrangement as ineffective in addressing illegal Channel crossings.
She argued that the scheme would allow individuals returned to France to attempt the journey again, potentially resulting in Britain repeatedly exchanging the same person whilst accepting different asylum seekers.
GB NEWS
|Kemi Badenoch said that "it is not going to work"
Badenoch told The Peoples Channel: "It wouldn't stop the boats, what it means is that somebody could be returned to France and then try again.
"So they could be swapping the exact same person while we're taking in lots of different people. It doesn't work. It's not going to stop the boats
"The only thing that would do was the Rwanda plan. We had a plan already last summer, after the election, Labour came in, they scrapped the Rwanda plan.
"Everybody who came to the country on small boats would have been processed in Rwanda. If they were genuine asylum seekers.
"They would get to stay in Rwanda, get asylum there and if they want, they'd be sent back home. Now Labour's got a new plan.
"They said they were going to smash the gangs. Remember, that was their big plan. Nothing is being smashed except their reputation."
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Labour's one-in, one-out migrant deal begins today
The bilateral arrangement, which commenced today, permits France to accept undocumented migrants who reach Britain via small boats.
In exchange, the UK will receive an equivalent number of asylum seekers who possess verified family connections in Britain.
The agreement, negotiated between Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, will operate until June 2026.
European Commission approval was secured alongside endorsement from EU member states, with operational systems now prepared for immediate implementation.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has defended the initiative as part of a comprehensive approach to combat people-smuggling operations.
She emphasised that whilst initial figures would be modest, they would gradually increase over time.
"It is also right to make clear... this must be done in a controlled and managed legal way, not through dangerous, illegal and uncontrolled routes," Cooper stated.