Labour’s one in, one out migrant deal with France is already falling apart on day one.
Just look at how Keir Starmer lauded the deal with Emmanuel Macron last month.
Supposedly under the plan, for every migrant the UK takes in legally from France, France agrees to take one back. But a major loophole means almost no one can be deported.
Anyone who lodges a human rights claim can’t be sent back until their case goes through the courts, which could take years.
GB News
|Jacob Rees-Mogg says Labour’s migrant deal with France is 'as dead as the Monty Python parrot'
Even claims deemed "clearly unfounded" by officials are still protected from immediate removal.
This makes the whole scheme unworkable from the start.
Tory MPs warned lawyers will jump on the loophole to block or delay deportations
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "This deal has no numbers in it, presumably because they are so small. Returning just 6% of illegal immigrants won’t deter anyone, because 94 per cent still get to stay."
Philp went out onto the Channel today to observe the small boat crisis first hand.
The reason for these pitiful numbers is because the deal only applies to migrants still in France who haven’t tried to cross illegally.
Thousands already in the UK won’t be affected at all, including very recent boat arrivals. Even if it could work, only around 50 people per week are expected to be sent back, or approximately one in every 17 boat arrivals.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says there will be "no set targets", reportedly to avoid tipping off smuggling gangs.
Experts have warned the plan will do nothing to discourage illegal crossings, and could even encourage smugglers to send more people.
The deal is set to run until June 2026, but it can be paused if France starts dragging its feet.
Meanwhile, GB News figures show the Channel crisis is continuing. Over 25,000 people have crossed in small boats this year alone a 51 per cent rise on this time last year
This deal with France is a bogus deal with no incentive or means to actually curb illegal boat crossings.
Labour is not serious about stopping the boats. No country can claim to be serious if it does not have control of its borders.