The cost of returning small boat migrants to France under a bilateral agreement has escalated to £56,000 per individual, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced Tuesday. This figure, revealed to MPs, brings the total expenditure for deporting over 1,400 migrants to an estimated £78 million, not accounting for the reciprocal intake of over 1,100 asylum seekers into the UK.
Mahmood indicated that the 'one in, one out' deal, set to expire next month, has faced operational difficulties in scaling up returns and has handled comparatively small numbers of migrants. "It had been operationally difficult to scale up very large numbers of removals every week into the French system," she stated.
In a separate initiative, Mahmood confirmed that only a small number of failed asylum-seeking families have accepted a separate Labour scheme offering up to £40,000 for voluntary departure. Introduced in March, this scheme aims to be more cost-effective than the estimated £158,000 average cost of housing asylum seekers in taxpayer-funded accommodations. The Home Secretary acknowledged that families weigh this financial offer against continued access to free public services like healthcare and education in Britain.
The government is also continuing to explore the possibility of establishing overseas returns hubs for failed asylum seekers. This comes as legal experts and a recent watchdog report raise concerns about the effectiveness and implementation of current immigration policies.
Top lawyers have critiqued the government's new immigration Bill, suggesting it only makes superficial changes and fails to address the fundamental issues driving the small boats crisis. Richard Ekins KC, professor of law at Oxford University, described the measures as merely "tinkering with the edges." Dr. Conor Casey of the University of Surrey echoed these sentiments, stating he saw nothing in the bill that would deter illegal Channel crossings.
Furthermore, a report from the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, John Tuckett, warned that UK Border Force is at risk of losing essential personnel and expertise due to plans to cut nearly 600 employees. The inspector noted a lack of clarity regarding oversight for these reductions, which could lead to significant skills and knowledge gaps within the agency responsible for border security.