The first small boat arrivals have been detained after the new returns agreement with France came into force
The first Channel migrants have been detained under the new returns deal with France. People who arrived in the UK on small boats were detained yesterday afternoon as Sir Keir Starmer‘s “one in, one out” agreement came into force.
They will be held in immigration removal centres until they are returned to France. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Yesterday, under the terms of this groundbreaking new treaty, the first group of people to cross the Channel were detained after their arrival at Western Jet Foil and will now be held in detention until they can be returned to France.
“That sends a message to every migrant currently thinking of paying organised crime gangs to go to the UK that they will be risking their lives and throwing away their money if they get into a small boat.”
Under the pilot scheme, adults arriving on small boats can be detained and sent back to France for the first time.
This is in exchange for an approved asylum seeker in France to be brought to the UK under a safe route.
The deal comes as Labour is attempting to crack down on smuggling gangs amid a record number of Channel crossings.
The Daily Express joined Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp on the channel and witnessed two boats carrying dozens of people being shadowed within 30 minutes of each other.
Mr Philp said: “The people-smuggling conveyor belt is now a round trip, paid for by British taxpayers.
Migrants pictured arriving in Dover on Wednesday (Image: Getty)
“We were in the middle of the Channel, just on the UK side of the border, witnessing the French handing over two boatloads of illegal migrants, Border Force picking them out, providing a taxi service back to the UK.
“This is the first day of the Labour Government’s new plan and here is evidence it is not working at all. I mean, even seeing the French asking for their lifejackets back so they can facilitate even more illegal immigration later on.
“With a weak Government in the UK, the French are essentially assisting and facilitating illegal migration so it’s no wonder we’ve got the worst ever numbers.”
Latest Home Office figures show 25,436 people have arrived by small boat so far this year – a record for this point in the year since data began in 2018.
This is up 48% on the same point last year (17,170), and is 70% higher than in 2023 (14,994).
