Kristina Roberts
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has defended the UK’s newly announced migrant returns agreement with France, asserting that it is legally resilient and designed to withstand court scrutiny.
The deal, introduced during French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent state visit, follows a “one in, one out” model: for each illegal migrant returned to France, the UK will accept one refugee with a legal asylum claim already processed in France.
Cooper stated that the government has worked extensively with European partners to ensure the plan meets legal requirements, especially in light of previous setbacks under the Conservative government’s attempt to deport migrants to Rwanda.
The pilot phase is expected to involve about 50 migrants per week. While the total numbers for the pilot and any future phases have not been finalized, the government plans to provide regular updates as the scheme progresses.
The initiative also includes new enforcement efforts targeting individuals working illegally in the UK—an effort to address one of the key factors drawing people to cross the Channel in small boats.
Under the agreement, migrants who are returned to France and then attempt to re-enter the UK illegally would be immediately sent back again and permanently barred from seeking asylum in the country. Cooper said such individuals would end up wasting large sums of money paid to smugglers, only to be turned away.
Lucy Moreton of the Immigration Services Union noted that the plan could be operational within days but warned that legal proceedings could delay its implementation by up to a year. She raised questions about the selection process, suggesting that legal challenges might arise if the criteria for return aren’t clearly defined.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticized the initiative, dismissing it as a “gimmick” that would still allow most illegal migrants to stay. He argued that the previous government’s Rwanda scheme would have removed “100% of illegal arrivals” and called the decision to abandon it a “catastrophic” mistake.
Cooper countered this by highlighting that only four individuals were ever sent to Rwanda, and only on a voluntary basis. She described the previous government’s migration strategy as chaotic and ineffective.
Since 2018, more than 170,000 people have arrived in the UK via small boat crossings. The number for 2025 has already neared 20,000 within the first half of the year—on track to surpass previous records.
President Macron, during the announcement, also suggested that Brexit has complicated the UK’s ability to manage irregular migration, underscoring the importance of renewed cooperation between the two countries.
