A Cabinet minister has declared the Government is "straining at the bit" to tackle what officials call the "migration crisis". The comments come as deportation flights to France are set to begin next week under a new returns agreement.
The "one in, one out" arrangement with Paris saw its first migrants detained on 6th August. Sources suggest the inaugural flight could depart as early as Monday.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who leads the UK's enhanced response to small boat crossings, confirmed this week that returns would commence "imminently". Peter Kyle told Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips the government was eager to address the situation they inherited.
Cooperation over confrontation
"What we know about that is that we are straining at the bit to get a grip on the migration crisis that we inherited from the Conservatives, where their free entry into the UK experiment left us with a disastrous inheritance," Kyle said. He emphasised that cooperation with France, rather than conflict, was delivering results.
"The lesson is that by cooperating with our partners, France, rather than rowing with them, we are able to deliver, so I hope the flights will start as quickly as possible," he added.
Record crossing numbers
Channel crossings have reached a significant milestone this year, with more than 30,000 migrants arriving in the UK. This represents the earliest point in any calendar year that this threshold has been crossed since records began in 2018.
The surge in arrivals has intensified pressure on the government to demonstrate effective border control measures.
Pilot scheme details
The "one in, one out" pilot programme allows the UK to return Channel-crossing migrants to France. In exchange, France will accept approved applicants seeking to come to the UK through official channels.
A Home Office spokesperson outlined the government's position: "Under the new UK-France treaty, people crossing in small boats can now be detained and removed to France. We expect the first returns to take place imminently. Protecting the UK border is our top priority. We will do whatever it takes to restore order to secure our borders."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
