UK-France Migration: Co-operation

Lord German Excerpts

Thursday 17th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord German (LD)]

My Lords, I start by giving my registered interests. I am supported by the RAMP organisation. These Benches welcome the principle lying behind this deal for two reasons: first, it undermines the model that the smugglers use and, secondly, it creates an additional safe route. These Benches commend the Government for introducing this as a pilot, because it tests a new policy and develops it to make sure that it works, based upon experience, evidence and bringing the public with you, rather than upon making huge promises on an untested novel policy that loses public trust, spends a lot of taxpayers’ money, and exhausts Civil Service and parliamentary time. We can think of such a scheme, of course, in referring to the Conservatives’ Rwanda policy.

There are clearly many questions that sit behind the proposal before us but, since the Government are working at pace to implement it, the answers should now be available. I am hoping the noble Lord will tell me. First, as I have said, as the pilot will initially be quite limited in numbers to ensure that it works operationally, does the Minister agree that, to provide both a viable alternative for asylum seekers as well as a deterrent to small boats crossing, the scheme would need to be scaled up quickly? Those not in the pilot initially will add to the backlog of asylum claims, and the process by which they are judged will need to be speeded up. What progress has been made on the backlog of asylum claims in this country?

Secondly, there will undoubtedly have to be a process of screening and selection of those to be returned to France on arrival. Can the Minister confirm whether immigration detention will be used prior to removal to France and, if so, will it be for the whole or part of the period when they are in the United Kingdom? Thirdly, can the Minister confirm which aspects of existing legislation will be used to operate this pilot? For example, will elements of the Illegal Migration Act be used? Fourthly, the returns of migrants to France will need to be swift to provide a real deterrent. Will migrants who are to be returned to France be able to challenge this decision? Will adequate legal advice be available, as well as judicial time, to ensure that the process is swift while also ensuring people can have their position considered prior to removal? Fifthly, how will the Government ensure that migrants in northern France are informed about this scheme from trusted sources so that they are well aware of it in advance of choosing, perhaps, not to make a dangerous crossing? Sixthly and finally, the process of accessing safe routes to the United Kingdom is one that must be trusted by migrants. What have the Government learned from schemes elsewhere in the world, where providing a safe route significantly changed migrant behaviour and diverted them from irregular to safe routes?

Undoubtedly, there will be many more questions as the pilot expands and moves forward but, critically, at this point, I think behind these questions lies an acceptance that this has the potential to work. We wish it every success in that movement forward, which is why it is so important to answer these questions at this stage.