First deportation made via 'one in, one out' deal

The first Channel migrant has been deported to France under the controversial one in, one out deal, the Home Office has confirmed.

- Diane Taylor

The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: "This is an important first step to securing our borders. It sends a message to people crossing in small boats: if you enter the UK illegally, we will seek to remove you.

"I will continue to challenge any last-minute vexatious attempts to frustrate a removal in the courts. The UK will always play its part in helping those genuinely fleeing persecution, but this must be done through safe, legal and managed routes, not dangerous crossings."

The UK-France treaty, which came into force on 6 August, allows Britain to detain and rapidly remove people who enter via small boats. In return, Britain will accept an equal number of people through a newly established safe and legal route, subject to security checks.

The Home Office said: "Today we will lodge an appeal to the court of appeal to limit the time the person has to provide evidence for reconsideration." It follows three days of cancellations of tickets of asylum seekers due to fly and a high court challenge that halted the imminent removal of a 25-year-old Eritrean man to France on Tuesday. He was granted more time to gather evidence relating to his claim that he is a victim of trafficking.

In another high court hearing last night, a second Eritrean man lost his attempt to halt his removal on a 6.15am flight to France this morning.