A Sudanese small boat arrival, an Afghan and a failed asylum seeker from Somalia were all sent back to France, the highest number of departures in a single day.
More than 32,000 migrants have crossed the Channel this year (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer defended his returns deal with France as three more people were deported on Thursday.
A Sudanese small boat arrival, an Afghan and a failed asylum seeker from Somalia were all sent back to France, the highest number of departures in a single day.
This means seven people have now been returned, as the Prime Minister admitted the scheme must be ramped up.
Sir Keir conceded only “small numbers” have left the UK under London’s deal with Paris amid an influx of legal challenges “piling in”.
More than 32,000 people have arrived in the UK after making the dangerous journey so far this year.
Asked if he will have failed in his pledge to “smash the gangs” if 2025 ends up being a record year for small boat arrivals in Kent, the Prime Minister told ITV Meridian: “We have to smash the gangs, and it is a serious issue.
“I understand people’s concern about this.”
And Sir Keir defended his “one-in-one-out” returns agreement with France, insisting “we’ve proved the concept”.
“We’ve also massively increased the number of people who are returned, if they’ve come to this country and they’ve got no right to be here,” the Prime Minister continued. So, 25,000 have been returned.
“We’ve got the returns agreement with France, the one in, one out. Small numbers – I accept we want to ramp that up but we’ve been able to prove that you can actually remove people, notwithstanding the legal challenges that have been piling in on us.
“You can do it.
Keir Starmer is under intense pressure to deport more migrants (Image: Getty)
“So, now we’ve proved the concept, if you like, we need to ramp that up.
“It’s a serious problem which requires serious responses, and that’s what we’re working at day in, day out to achieve.”
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday night urged the Prime Minister to reverse his decision to cancel the Rwanda deportation scheme.
He said: “I think the government today should swallow its pride and get Rwanda done.
“What we what we have at the moment is a failure to control illegal immigration well.
“And that is, in fact, thanks to Brexit.
“We can do that because if you look at, if you look at the cross Channel, the people coming across in the dinghy, in the boats, that’s the thing that really drives the public nuts, and drives me nuts.
“We have a solution to that, and it’s the Rwanda solution, and it’s and it’s painful, it’s painful to see people now copying our idea, Americans, Italians.
“And what this appalling Labour government should be doing is, instead of going off to Albania and being humiliated by Edi Rama, I was there, you know, asking, begging, Edi Rama, begging the Albanians for a Rwanda solution.
“We should do the Rwanda scheme. That is the way to fix illegal that’s the way to fix the illegal cross Channel migration.”
And he insisted Britain must leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
He said: “They should be getting out of the ECHR that actually doesn’t make much difference to to the to the small boats problem.”
