In a significant admission regarding the government's border control strategy, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has revealed that more migrants have entered the United Kingdom under the flagship 'one in, one out' scheme with France than have been deported through the reciprocal arrangement.
Numerical Imbalance in Reciprocal Agreement
The scheme, which commenced operations in September of last year, has resulted in 350 asylum seekers being brought to Britain from France, while only 281 individuals have been removed from the UK and returned to French authorities. This creates a net inflow of 69 migrants under the programme that was designed to create balanced exchanges between the two nations.
Speaking during an interview with Nick Ferrari on LBC radio on Tuesday morning, Ms Mahmood acknowledged that "they are still relatively small numbers" and emphasised that the initiative remains in a pilot phase. She explained that one of the initial challenges involved effectively advertising the new legal route to potential migrants in France.
Communication Challenges and Operational Hurdles
"One of the first problems we ran into was advertising the new legal route to migrants in France," the Home Secretary revealed. "Officials couldn't find enough people to bring into Britain through the new route because there wasn't enough knowledge about this alternative pathway."
Ms Mahmood further elaborated on the competitive environment for messaging, stating: "You've got to compete with organised immigration crime to get your messages out to vulnerable individuals who might otherwise risk dangerous Channel crossings with people smugglers."
The Home Secretary also addressed practical operational considerations, noting: "There are practical issues around how quickly you can detain people and then get them on a plane and move them out to France. We've actually speeded up the removals to France and then taking people in through the established channels."
Government Defends Fluctuating Numbers
The prime minister's official spokesman defended the scheme's performance on Tuesday, describing it as a "reciprocal deal" that represents "another tool in our armoury" to disrupt people smuggling operations. "We've always been clear that the numbers will fluctuate," the spokesman stated. "I think at the beginning of the agreement the numbers were higher in terms of us sending people to France than receiving people under the safe returns route."
The spokesman acknowledged there is "no silver bullet" for solving the complex challenge of Channel crossings but maintained that the scheme contributes to tackling smuggling gangs' business models at their source.
Context of Channel Crossings
This development occurs against the backdrop of continued small boat crossings, with government figures indicating that more than 41,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats last year. This represents the second highest annual total on record, surpassed only by the peak numbers observed in 2022.
The update on the migration scheme follows recent concerns raised by French human rights ombudsman Claire Hédon regarding law enforcement practices on French beaches. In a report shared with Le Monde newspaper, Ms Hédon warned against the use of certain weapons, including rubber-ball launchers and tear gas grenades, when the sole objective of security forces is preventing migrants from boarding boats to cross the Channel.
The ombudsman highlighted what she described as a lack of transparency and information surrounding French police's use of such equipment in migration control operations along the northern coastline.
