Labour’s ‘one-in, one-out’ deal takes effect
The UK has completed its first migrant return to France under the flagship “one-in, one-out” agreement – a move the Labour government hopes will counter claims that the plan is unworkable.
An Indian national was flown back to France on Thursday morning, marking the first successful removal since the scheme came into force in August.
The Home Office said the transfer followed three consecutive days of failed attempts due to legal interventions that halted other scheduled removals.
Legal challenges loom
Later that same day, the High Court dismissed a last-minute attempt by an Eritrean man to block his removal, rejecting his claim to be a trafficking victim. However, the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is preparing appeals in other cases, including one where judges allowed another Eritrean man to remain temporarily while he gathered evidence of modern slavery.
Mahmood described the successful return as “an important first step” and vowed to push back against what she called “last-minute, vexatious attempts” to stop flights. On Wednesday she criticised cases where migrants had raised trafficking claims only on the eve of removal, arguing that such moves “mocked” the UK’s laws.
She has since updated guidance on the Modern Slavery Act so that those earmarked for removal to safe countries will have to pursue appeals from overseas. The independent anti-slavery commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, voiced concern that the changes could discourage genuine victims from seeking help, warning on the BBC that the home secretary’s remarks had a “real-life impact” on exploited individuals.
Political and diplomatic stakes
The return came just hours before Sir Keir Starmer hosted Donald Trump at Chequers, where the US president suggested Britain should consider military involvement to stem small boat crossings. Immigration remains a highly charged political issue: recent polls place it among voters’ top concerns.
The government insists the one-in, one-out policy, negotiated between Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron, will deter dangerous channel crossings. Under its terms, for every migrant sent back to France, the UK agrees to receive an equivalent number of asylum seekers from across the Channel. The first arrivals from northern France are expected this weekend.
Opposition pressure
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has seized on the issue, accusing both Labour and the Conservatives of failing to get a grip on irregular migration. The previous Conservative government’s Rwanda plan collapsed after repeated court battles, and Labour’s pledge to take a different path will be judged by the speed and scale of these new returns.
