Chris Philp has described the shocking scenes he witnessed on the English Channel during a fact-finding mission to establish whether the Government’s new deal with France is working.
The Shadow Home Secretary said he watched on as a migrant vessel was steered into the path of a massive shipping container.
Wednesday marked the first day of Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron’s ‘one in, one out’ pilot scheme which allows the UK to send some people who have crossed the Channel back to France.
They are sent back in exchange for asylum seekers with ties to Britain.
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Chris Philp described the chaos he witnessed
Philp spoke to GB News from a boat in the Channel to describe some of the eye-opening scenes.
“There’s a lot of loopholes in this deal that will stop this deal working in practice”, he said.
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“The French should be stopping these boats near French shores. We saw this morning a French warship escorting a migrant vessel into the shipping lane.
“A massive container ship had to change course to avoid hitting it. They should have stopped it near the French coast, that would have been a lot safer.
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Chris Philp spoke to GB News from the English Channel
“The Belgians do that and the Australians do it, it can be done. If every single one of the illegal immigrants got removed, either to their country of origin or to a safe third country, there would be no point in attempting the crossings in the first place.
“Doing that would require us at a minimum to repeal the Human Rights Act in relation to immigration matters, which we [the Tories] would definitely do. It would also require us to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.”
The scheme, announced during Emmanuel Macron’s state visit last month, received approval from the European Commission and EU member states. However, immediate returns won’t occur.
Detentions are set to begin within days as authorities prepare for the programme’s implementation. The government hopes the threat of removal will discourage dangerous crossings, which have surged to over 25,000 this year – nearly 50 per cent higher than the same period in 2024.
PA | Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer announced the one in, one out migrant dealThe mechanism operates on a straightforward exchange basis – for each person returned to France, Britain will accept one asylum seeker from Europe who hasn’t attempted illegal entry.
These individuals must pass security and eligibility assessments before admission.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasised Britain would “always be ready to play its part alongside other countries in helping those fleeing persecution and conflict”, but stressed this must happen “in a controlled and managed legal way”.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described the arrangement as “a first step in addressing a challenge that calls for the mobilisation of the entire European Union”
