Day 1 of Labour's migrant deal and French taxi small boats to UK waters

THE UK’s migrant return deal appeared to be a laughing stock on day one yesterday as French authorities continued to run a “taxi service” for dinghies crossing the Channel.

- By Zak Garner-Purkis in the Channel and Michael Knowles. Pictures by Phil Harris

Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to smash the gangs faced ridicule after the Daily Express, alongside Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, witnessed two boats carrying dozens of people being escorted to Britain within 30 minutes of each other. After escorting one to UK waters, the French navy vessel’s captain radioed a Border Force boat asking for its 60 lifejackets back.

Mr Philp said: “The people-smuggling conveyor belt is now a round-trip paid for by British taxpayers. We were in the middle of the Channel, just on the UK side of the border, witnessing the French handing over two boatloads of illegal migrants, with Border Force picking them out and providing a taxi service back to the UK.

“This is the first day of the Labour Government's new plan and here is evidence it is not working at all...seeing the French asking for their lifejackets back so they can facilitate even more illegal immigration later on.

“With a weak Government in the UK, the French are essentially assisting and facilitating illegal migration. It’s no wonder we've got the worst ever numbers.”

Under the “one-in, one-out” deal between London and Paris, illegals arriving by small boats will be returned to France in exchange for Britain accepting an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with UK family connections.

However, it has emerged France will be able to withhold crucial details about the asylum seekers they are sending to the UK. According to the treaty’s Article 4, it can also refuse to take back any Channel migrant posing a “threat to public policy, internal security, public health or the international relations of any of the Schengen states”.