Indian national returned to France this morning, Home Office amends modern slavery guidance and begins review to prevent 'misuse'
Following a failed attempt at a removal earlier this week, the Home Office announced today that it has successfully returned the first small boat migrant under the 'one in, one out' agreement with France.
The Home Office said the man had arrived in the UK via small boat in August and he was placed on a commercial flight to France this morning. News media reported that the man was an Indian national.
BBC News quoted the Prime Minister as stating: "We struck the returns arrangement with France and notwithstanding the challenges to that scheme that you've seen in the last few days, a flight went off at 06:15 this morning successfully returning someone in that scheme."
According to the Home Office, further removals are scheduled in the coming days, alongside the first arrivals in the UK of asylum seekers coming from France under the agreement.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood hailed today's removal as "an important first step to securing our borders," adding that the Government would continue to resist legal attempts to delay deportations. "If you enter the UK illegally, we will seek to remove you," she said.
The Home Office also confirmed that a rapid review of the UK's modern slavery legislation has begun, aimed at preventing its misuse. The Home Secretary lodged an appeal at the Court of Appeal today to limit the time individuals have to submit evidence for reconsideration. It comes after a High Court ruling on Tuesday temporarily blocked the removal of an Eritrean man to France, granting him additional time to submit further evidence that he had been trafficked and was a victim of modern slavery. The Home Secretary later accused migrants of making "vexatious, last-minute claims" of being victims of modern slavery, thus 'making a mockery' of the UK's laws.
Eleanor Lyons, the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, told BBC Radio 4 this morning that it was deeply concerning for the Home Secretary to suggest the modern slavery system is being misused. Lyons said there is no evidence of widespread misuse.
The Free Movement website reported that the Home Office yesterday revised its modern slavery statutory guidance, inserting a new paragraph that prevents people scheduled for removal to France from using the reconsideration process to challenge a negative trafficking or modern slavery decision. According to The Independent, it means anyone scheduled for removal who wants to challenge a negative decision will need to do so via legal action from France.
The change applies more widely to anyone who the Home Secretary intends to remove to a country that is a signatory to the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT) and European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).