Family of three first to enter UK under ‘one in, one out’ migration deal
A family of three, including a small child, are the first to have arrived in Britain under Sir Keir Starmer’s “one in, one out” immigration deal with France.
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The Home Office said the move was part of “critical first steps” under the scheme, following the removal of four people from Britain.
A spokesperson for the department said: “This is a clear message to people-smuggling gangs that illegal entry into the UK will not be tolerated.
“We will continue to detain and remove those who arrive by small boat.
“And we will work with France to operate a legal route for an equal number of eligible migrants to come to the UK subject to security checks.”
Last week, a third person was removed from the UK as part of the deal.
Home Office sources said the man, an Iranian, had been returned to France on Friday.
This followed the removal of an Eritrean man earlier on Friday after he lost a High Court bid to halt his removal, and the deportation of an Indian national on Thursday.
Ministers have praised the returns, with Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy saying they provided an "immediate deterrent" to people seeking to cross the Channel.
The Government intends to increase the number of people being sent back under the pilot deal over the coming months.
Ministers agreed on the pilot scheme with the French government in July as part of efforts to deter the record number of arrivals by small boat crossings so far this year.
More than 31,000 people have arrived in the UK after making the dangerous journey in 2025.
The first detentions of migrants took place last month as the deal came into force, and they have been held at an immigration removal centre pending their removal from the country.
Under the arrangement, the UK will return asylum seekers to France who have crossed the Channel, in exchange for those who apply and are approved to come to Britain.