UK Continues Deporting Asylum Seekers to France Weeks After Scheme Ended
The Home Office continues detaining and flying asylum seekers to France weeks after the controversial removal scheme officially concluded.
At a glance
- The Home Office is still detaining and flying asylum seekers to France weeks after the one in, one out scheme ended on October 1.
- Officials chartered a flight to France on Wednesday and have another scheduled for November 17 for people who arrived before the deadline.
- Campaigners have criticized the continued detentions and the overall cost of the program, which reached at least £78m.
- Several asylum seekers returned to the UK after being sent to France, with some waiting in northern France to cross again.
The Home Office is still placing asylum seekers onto flights bound for France several weeks after the formal conclusion of a controversial removal arrangement. The one in, one out policy, established in July 2025 by French President Emmanuel Macron and former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, aimed to deter small boat crossings by returning asylum seekers to France while bringing a matching number legally to the UK.
Although the agreement terminated on October 1, the Home Office continues to hold dozens of individuals in detention. A removal flight departed for France on Wednesday carrying people who arrived via small boats prior to the deadline, and a second plane is booked for November 17 according to internal understanding.
Detentions and Continued Flights
Home Office sources confirmed that returns for the remaining cohort under the arrangement are proceeding past the end date. Freedom of information figures show that nearly a third of deportation flights between July and September, amounting to seven out of 23, were canceled, representing double the cancellation rate seen in the first half of 2026.
Emma Ginn, director of Medical Justice, stated that vulnerable individuals remain locked in detention centres ahead of forced removals. Ginn noted that immigration detention harms detainees and that the prospect of returning to France compounds this distress due to reported violence from smugglers.
Financial Impact and Criticism
The continuation of flights highlights ongoing questions about the execution and financial impact of an initiative designed to curb irregular migration across the Channel. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood informed parliament's cross-party home affairs committee that the removal process cost at least £78m, with additional expenses incurred when individuals returned to the UK and faced subsequent redeportations.
Maddie Harris of the Humans for Rights Network questioned the utility of the expenditure given that hundreds of people continue gathering along the French coast. The reports did not include a direct response from the Home Office regarding these specific criticisms about the scheme's overall effectiveness and cost.
Returns to the UK
At least seven asylum seekers who were previously sent to France have managed to travel back to the UK since October 1, with others waiting in northern France for favorable weather to attempt the crossing. The Guardian interviewed a Syrian man and an Iranian man who returned shortly after the program ended and are now having their claims assessed domestically.
The Syrian man expressed relief after being released from detention when no safe third country could be found for deportation. The Iranian man described facing severe abuse by smugglers in France, reinforcing accounts of difficult conditions for those returned under the UK arrangement.
What to watch: The scheduled removal flight to France on November 17.
Reporting from: The Guardian. Spotted an error? Tell us.
- Asylum
- Home Office
- Immigration
- France
- Channel Crossings
- United Kingdom
- Politics