Why does returned migrant prefer Britain to France?

Sometimes a narrative about a hapless government can develop that means even the most apparently trivial of news stories gains much greater traction for being set in the context of a wider pattern of failure, misjudgement and setbacks.

- SEAN O'GRADY

So it is with the remarkable story of an Iranian migrant who came to Britain illegally on a boat, made his claim for asylum, had it rejected, was returned to France and then simply made the journey again - making a mockery of the “one in, one out” agreement.

It happened just as the number of such Channel crossings exceeded the total number for the whole of 2024. The farcical element thus highlighted a wider political challenge connected to relatively high volumes of immigration generally, and about border control, while public concern about migrant hotels, in particular, continues...

Does this mean the ‘one in, one out’ policy is a joke?

Keir Starmer said yesterday that Britain will remove him again “very, very swiftly” and he will be “fast-tracked back out of the country, because we obviously have his details”.