Court Orders Return of Migrant Removed to France
A judge has ordered the government to bring back an alleged trafficking victim who was removed to France under its flagship “one in, one out” migrant returns scheme, in a fresh legal setback for the policy. The ruling raises questions about whether people are being properly screened before removal. Ministers have staked much on the returns deal as a deterrent to Channel crossings.
The scheme, under which the UK returns some arrivals to France in exchange for accepting others through legal routes, is central to the government’s attempt to show it can control the border. A court finding that a suspected victim of trafficking was wrongly sent back exposes the legal minefield such removals must cross, and hands ammunition to critics on all sides. It comes as Reform UK presses its own hardline plan and small-boat crossings continue. The government insists the deal is working. Watch whether further legal challenges follow and how ministers respond.