London (TDI): On Tuesday, the deal “one in, one out” between France and the United Kingdom will come into force. The agreement was made between Emmanuel Macron, the French President, and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during the French President’s visit to Britain.
According to this agreement, people who came to the UK by crossing the Channel will be sent back to France, and the asylum seekers in France who have ties with Britain will be handed over to the UK. This deal was signed last week and has also been approved by the European Commission.
When the deal was first announced during the visit, the UK Prime Minister and French President called it a “good agreement.” Yvette Cooper, who is serving as Home Secretary for the UK, told the media that this scheme will be applied to new entries rather than those already here, who will be “detained immediately upon arrival”.
Cooper refused to tell how many people would be sent back, as this information might be used by people to smuggle gangs who would work around the numbers. In the exchange of those who have been returned, the same number of people will be sent back to the UK. Though there are circulating reports that say 50 people per week will be exchanged.
Cooper said that it’s a pilot scheme and numbers will start from lower and then rise. She also added, “The principle says, frankly, if you arrive here on a small boat, you have paid thousands of pounds to a criminal people smuggler, you should be being returned, that money should be lost, and we should be taking those who have applied lawfully who’ve been through security checks.”
This scheme of exchange is a long one-year agreement and set to end in June 2026. The Conservatives have labeled the agreement a “surrender deal” and said it will make “no difference whatsoever.”
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