Migrant to be deported after court challenge fails

AN ERITREAN man is set to be deported to France today after losing a High Court bid to have his removal under the UK Government's “one in, one out” scheme temporarily blocked.

- CALLUM PARKE, JESS GLASS AND NINA MASSEY

The migrant, who cannot be named, arrived in the UK on a small boat last month and brought a claim against the Home Office yesterday ahead of his scheduled removal from the UK at 6.15am today.

At a hearing in London, his barristers asked for “interim relief” ahead of a full legal challenge against the decision to deport him.

They said that the decision was “procedurally unfair” as he had not been given sufficient opportunity to put forward evidence supporting his claim that he was an “alleged trafficking victim”.

The Home Office opposed the bid to temporarily block the removal, telling the court that there was “no serious issue to be tried”.

In a ruling, Mr Justice Sheldon said: “In my judgment, the application for interim relief is refused.

“The test for injunctive relief is not made out. I consider that there is no serious issue to be tried in this case.”

Mr Justice Sheldon, who granted the man anonymity, continued that there was “significant public interest in favour of the claimant’s removal”.

He also said the man gave differing accounts of his allegations of trafficking, describing a second account as “so different from the initial account provided”.