New migrant deal ‘complies with law’

BRITAIN’S migrant return deal with France is “robust” against legal challenge, Downing Street said as the EU suggested it is assessing whether the agreement complies with “the spirit and letter of the law’.

- NINA LLOYD AND CHRIS MCKEON

‘The UK has said it expects Brussels to approve the pact, while a spokesman for the European Commission indicated it wanted to know more about the “substance and form’ of the arrangement before offering support.

‘The one-in-one-out migrant return scheme set out by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President ~~ Emmanuel Macron is due to begin within weeks, but still needs final legal verification and consultation with the bloc.

Asked whether the Government was concerned about the scheme potentially being held up in the courts, a Number 10 spokesman said: “We've done a lot of work to make sure the system is robust to legal challenges, and of course, France is a safe country and a member of the ECHR.