The United Kingdom's agreement with France to return small boat migrants has seen its cost escalate to £56,000 per individual, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood revealed. This figure applies to the 'one in, one out' deal, which has facilitated the deportation of over 1,400 migrants to France. The total expenditure for this aspect of the policy has reached approximately £78 million, excluding the costs associated with accepting over 1,100 asylum seekers into the UK as part of the reciprocal terms.
Mahmood informed MPs that the deal, scheduled to conclude next month, had managed a relatively small number of migrants. She noted that scaling up large weekly removals into the French system had proven operationally challenging. The cost per return was previously estimated to be below £50,000.
In a separate initiative, a Labour-backed scheme offering up to £40,000 for failed asylum seeker families to voluntarily leave Britain has seen only a small number of acceptances, Mahmood also confirmed. This scheme, unveiled in March, offers £10,000 per person for families of up to four, intended as a more cost-effective alternative to the estimated £158,000 average cost of housing them in taxpayer-funded accommodations.
Mahmood acknowledged that families are weighing the financial offer against the continued access to free public services such as healthcare and education in Britain. The government also remains interested in exploring the possibility of establishing overseas returns hubs for failed asylum seekers.
Meanwhile, legal experts have expressed concerns that the UK's new immigration Bill might not effectively address the core issues of the small boats crisis, suggesting it only makes minor adjustments to existing laws. A committee scrutinizing the Immigration and Asylum Bill, introduced in June, heard that the legislation fails to tackle the fundamental problem enabling illegal migrants to claim asylum in Britain. Professor Richard Ekins KC of Oxford University stated that the measures are superficial and do not address the central issue. Dr. Conor Casey from the University of Surrey echoed these sentiments, indicating that the bill would not deter unlawful Channel crossings.
Separately, a report from the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, John Tuckett, warned that the UK Border Force risks operational deficiencies due to plans to reduce its workforce by nearly 600 employees. The inspector raised concerns that the agency might lose essential personnel and knowledge, potentially creating skills gaps. The report also highlighted a lack of clarity regarding the oversight of these staff reductions, which are expected to be difficult to achieve through natural wastage alone.