First migrants to be returned to France under 'one in, one out' scheme this month, Home Secretary tells LBC

Ms Cooper's remarks come amid reports that 3,567 people have arrived on the UK's shores since the deal with France was ratified.

Under the new deal, announced on July 10 and ratified in August, some migrants arriving in small boats will be returned to France while the same number of genuine asylum-seekers would be allowed into the UK.

The government has reportedly already detained migrants who are awaiting being returned to France.

Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari, Ms Cooper said: "The first people are in detention at the moment and we expect the first returns to take place later this month.

"We've always been clear that it is a pilot and it needs to build."

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The Home Office said earlier in August that the first people had been detained and referrals would be made to France within three days, adding that French authorities would respond within 14 days.

Likewise, the Government is currently running security checks on those who have applied to come to the UK through legal channels.

She added: "The first stage is we take people into detention and we then put their cases to France.

"The cases are then referred to France, and then we have to get the agreements on both the returns and the timetable for returns.

"Alongside that, we are simultaneously doing security checks on people who have applied to come to the UK through the lawful route. So these are new processes."

"It's four weeks since we signed the treaty and if you remember the Rwanda agreement that the previous government had, they ran it for two years and sent no one.

"We're working actually at quite a rapid pace to get people into detention and to get those return cases referred."