First migrants expected to be sent back to France next week under returns deal

The first deportation flights of migrants under the UK’s returns deal with France are expected to begin next week.

The “one in, one out” agreement with Paris saw the first migrants detained on August 6 and it is understood the first flight could be as early as Monday.

New Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has been tasked with ramping up the UK’s response to small boat crossings, said this week she expected the returns to begin “imminently”.

Formal removal directions have been issued to asylum seekers who arrived in the UK on small boats last month, telling them they will be deported to France within five days, The Telegraph reported.

The number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel has topped 30,000 for the year so far.

It is the earliest point in a calendar year at which the 30,000 mark has been passed since data on the crossings was first reported in 2018.

The “one in, one out” pilot scheme has been agreed for the UK to send back to France migrants who have crossed the Channel, in exchange for those who apply and are approved to come to the UK.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Under the new UK-France treaty, people crossing in small boats can now be detained and removed to France. We expect the first returns to take place imminently.

“Protecting the UK border is our top priority. We will do whatever it takes to restore order to secure our borders.”