An Eritrean man has been deported to France under the UK government's “one in, one out” agreement, the Home Office has confirmed. The man, the second to be removed under the deal, was on a flight that left Heathrow for Paris at 6.15am on Friday after losing a high court attempt to block his removal.
The agreement with France is designed to return asylum seekers who arrive in the UK illegally, in exchange for those who apply in France and are approved to come to Britain. The first person removed under the scheme, an Indian national who arrived by small boat in August, was put on a flight to France on Thursday morning.
The development comes as the government faces mounting pressure to tackle small boat crossings. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said the first return sent a clear message: “If you enter the UK illegally, we will seek to remove you.” She added that she would “continue to challenge any last-minute, vexatious attempts to frustrate a removal in the courts”.
The returns deal had faced scrutiny after reports of cancelled removal flights earlier this week. On Tuesday, another Eritrean man temporarily blocked his deportation after a judge found a “serious issue to be tried” over trafficking claims. However, in the second legal challenge, brought on Thursday, the same judge refused interim relief. Barristers for the man, who cannot be named, argued the decision was “procedurally unfair” because he had not been given sufficient opportunity to present evidence of alleged trafficking. But Mr Justice Sheldon said “there is no serious issue to be tried” and noted the man had given differing accounts of his allegations.
Ministers agreed the pilot scheme with the French government in July as part of efforts to deter record small boat arrivals. Hours after the first removal, Donald Trump urged the Prime Minister to involve the military, saying at a joint press conference: “It destroys countries from within.”
