France yet to agree how many migrant returns it will accept, says Yvette Cooper

The UK has "not fixed the numbers yet" connected however galore migrants volition beryllium returned to France arsenic portion of a caller "one in, 1 out" deal, the location caput has said.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the "one in, 1 out" deal connected Thursday to instrumentality migrants crossing the Channel to the UK connected tiny boats.

In speech for each migrant returned to France arsenic portion of the agreement, an asylum seeker who wants to travel to the UK via a safe, ineligible way volition beryllium allowed introduction to the UK - if they person not already tried to participate illegally.

Politics latest: Border Force successful Channel arsenic tiny boats spotted

But Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said they had not agreed connected however galore migrants would beryllium returned, aft reports said 50 would beryllium sent backmost to France each week.

She told Sky News: "We haven't fixed the eventual numbers yet oregon the advancement that we'll marque arsenic it's a pilot, due to the fact that it's close we bash this successful a step-by-step way, and we proceedings this and make it.

"We'll supply updates throughout, we request to get this going, we request to marque definite we get this one-for-one statement that we made with France."

Sir Keir and Mr Macron confirmed the aviator volition commencement successful a fewer weeks, but Ms Cooper insisted not mounting a fig of however galore volition beryllium sent backmost to France is "the close attack due to the fact that we're going to marque definite that this works".

She added: "We're going to marque definite that we tin summation it."

Just hours earlier the 2 leaders announced the deal, dozens of radical arrived successful the UK connected a dinghy, portion much arrived connected Friday greeting arsenic the UK deed its 3rd heatwave of the year.

So far, much than 21,000 radical person arrived successful the UK connected tiny boats this twelvemonth - a astir 50% summation connected the aforesaid clip past year.

Tories: 'It's a gimmick'

Conservative shadiness location caput Chris Philp told Sky News the woody is "not groundbreaking, it is simply a gimmick".

Referring to reports lone 50 radical a week could beryllium sent backmost to France, Mr Philp added: "Quite clearly, if 94% of amerciable immigrants arriving get to enactment here, there's going to beryllium nary deterrent effect whatsoever, truthful it's not going to work.

"And unfortunately, these record-ever numbers of amerciable immigrants entering the UK, unfortunately, are acceptable to continue."

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'Robust presumption for ineligible challenges'

Ms Cooper said she had been discussing and processing the woody with the French interior curate since October past year.

They person besides been talking to EU commissioners, representing each of the EU's 27 members, who she said had been "very supportive and helpful".

The location caput added: "We've done a batch of ineligible enactment connected this...so that we person a robust presumption to beryllium capable to respond to immoderate ineligible challenges that are made."

Macron: 'British radical sold a Brexit lie'

While announcing the woody connected Thursday alongside Sir Keir, Mr Macron said Brexit was the crushed for the emergence successful tiny boats crossing the Channel, due to the fact that helium said the UK had nary migration woody with the EU aft it left, creating an "incentive to marque the crossing".

He said the British radical had been sold a lie.

Ms Cooper avoided voicing statement with that statement, but said the transgression smuggler gangs charging precocious amounts for radical to transverse the Channel "will weaponise thing that is happening".

She said successful the run-up to the UK leaving the EU successful January 2020, transgression gangs said radical had to wage wealth rapidly truthful they could transverse earlier Brexit, but aft that, they continued by saying radical could not beryllium returned due to the fact that the Dublin Agreement was not successful place.

The Dublin Agreement is an EU instrumentality based connected the rule that lone 1 state is liable for an asylum claim, mostly the 1 wherever the asylum seeker archetypal entered the EU.

After Brexit, that was nary longer successful place, truthful the UK could not automatically instrumentality asylum seekers to the EU state they had archetypal entered.