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£19.99Political reporter Joshua Nevett, alongside political correspondent Iain Watson, revealed that the UK government is currently engaged in discussions with France regarding a potential program aimed at repatriating illegal migrants who have crossed the Channel using small boats. Under this proposal, the British government would agree to accept legal migrants who are seeking family reunification in the UK. The was confirmed by the French interior ministry, which described the initiative as a trial scheme based on a “one-for-one principle” with the goal of dissuading smuggling networks.
Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood acknowledged that talks with France regarding migration issues are ongoing but refrained from providing details about the possibility of an arrangement concerning deportations. The French government’s interest in the scheme is primarily focused on discouraging both migrants and smuggling networks from attempting to reach the UK from France. It was proposed that the pilot program could potentially pave the way for a broader agreement on migrant returns among European Union member states.
In response to these developments, Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the Migration Observatory, suggested that the efficacy of the measure’s deterrent effect would hinge on the actual number of small boat arrivals being transferred from the UK back to France. While this move may not immediately reduce the UK’s obligations towards asylum seekers, Walsh expressed hope that a substantial return of migrants to France could serve as a deterrent. Additionally, the previous Conservative government had previously allocated nearly £500 million to France over a three-year period to bolster law enforcement efforts aimed at stemming the flow of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticized the opposition Labour government’s approach, stating that any plan they implement would only result in a small fraction of illegal immigrants being returned to France. Prior to this, the Conservatives had a deterrence strategy in place with the Rwanda deportation agreement, which aimed to dissuade small boat crossings by redirecting some illegal arrivals to the east African country. However, legal challenges halted the initiative, and Labour eventually terminated the program before any migrants were relocated to Rwanda. Instead of pursuing trade-style agreements related to migrants, Reform UK MP Lee Anderson advocated for strengthening border security as a more effective and cost-efficient strategy to tackle illegal migration
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