Second ‘one in, one out’ UK deportation flight takes off with no migrants on board

The Air France flight from Heathrow to Paris on Tuesday morning left without any migrant passengers following further last-minute legal challenges.

There were efforts to remove another group of illegal migrants on a flight on Monday but lawyers acting for one of them got the flight blocked.

Victims Minister and MP for Pontypridd Alex Davies-Jones told LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast the deportation flights "will be as soon as we physically can", but was unable to say when that would be.

She said: "We are working at pace to ensure that we do deport illegal migrants to our landmark deal with France, this one in, one out policy.

"But I would just want to remind you... that we have deported over 35,000 people with no right to be here since we came into office. And we are determined to go further."

Read more: First flight carrying migrants to France stalled after legal challenge

Read more: First Channel migrants to be deported under 'one-in, one-out' France deal

Despite Nick pushing for clarity on a timeframe on the deportations, Ms Davies-Jones said they would not be "putting running commentary on exactly when we're doing this".

She added: "I am as exasperated and frustrated as you as are the British public. They want action on this and we are taking that action because they demand it of us.

"And we will be doing so as soon as we physically can. And we need to make sure that it is legally watertight."

Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Mel Stride said it is "patently obvious that [the government] never had a plan for the economy or stopping small boats and illegal migration".

He told LBC's Nick Ferrari: "They cancelled the Rwanda deterrent. We know that the only way we're going to resolve this problem with small boats is to have an effective deterrent such that people know if they come here, they'll be sent straight away from our shores.

"And this government has ducked that at every single turn, tinkering around the edges. And that's why we've got record illegal migration across the Channel at the moment."

Earlier on Monday, skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith refused to say how many people will be returned to France this week under the deal.

The French are reported to have said they will only be accepting a small initial contingent of deportations.

Ministers have previously said the scheme will ramp up the number of deportations over time.

The pilot scheme will see the UK send back to France asylum seekers who have crossed the Channel, in exchange for those who apply and are approved to come to Britain.

Reports suggest formal removal directions have been issued to those who arrived in the UK on small boats last month, telling them they will be deported within five days.

The number of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel has topped 30,000 for the year so far.

It is the earliest point in a calendar year at which the 30,000 mark has been passed since data on the crossings was first reported in 2018.