French president Emmanuel Macron is right to say it’s too easy to work illegally in Britain, admitted Home Secretary Yvette Cooper after the two countries agreed a new deal to tackle the “small boats’” Channel crisis.
Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday announced a “groundbreaking” one in, one out deal with Mr Macron to return small boats migrants in exchange for asylum seekers in France.
The UK’s new migration deal with France will show people that attempting to cross the Channel in small boats will be “in vain”, the Prime Minister said, although he admitted there was “no silver bullet” in tackling the illegal crossings.
“But with a united effort, new tactics and a new level of intent, we can finally turn the tables,” he said.
Mr Macron stressed that the UK needed to address “pull factors” attracting migrants to risk their lives crossing the Channel, including how easy it was to find jobs and work illegally.
Speaking on Friday, Home Secretary Yvette Copper admitted: “He’s right that it has been too easy to work illegally for far too long and that is why we are cracking down on that.
“We have started doing that already, we are going to go much further.”
On Thursday, the PM told a joint press conference with the French President, how the one-in-one-out scheme would work, though the Government is not putting a figure on how many people it will impact on after suggestions it would be just 50 a week..
“In exchange for every return, a different individual will be allowed to come here via a safe route, controlled and legal, subject to strict security checks and only open to those who have not tried to enter the UK illegally,” he said.
“This will show others trying to make the same journey that it will be in vain, and the jobs they have been promised in the UK will no longer exist because of the nationwide crackdown we’re delivering on illegal working which is on a completely unprecedented scale.
“The president and I have agreed that this pilot will be implemented in the coming weeks.”
The new pact was unveiled at a press conference on Thursday, where Macron claimed Brexit has made it harder to combat illegal migration across the Channel.
The French president said: "Since Brexit, and I'm saying all this quite honestly, I know it's not your case, Prime Minister, but many people in your country explained that Brexit would make it possible to fight more effectively against illegal immigration.
"But it's in fact since Brexit (that) the UK has no migratory agreement with the EU."
Sir Keir has already faced backlash for the deal after it emerged that it would likely mean only around 50 migrants would be returned to France each week.
It came as hundreds of migrants crossed the Channel on Thursday, dwarfing the number that could be sent back to France under the new scheme.
Opposition politicians were scathing about the Prime Minister's deal with Mr Macron.
Reform UK's Nigel Farage, who spent the day on a boat in the English Channel watching migrants making the crossing, said: "This agreement is a humiliation for Brexit Britain.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp claimed the deal "will only return one in every 17 illegal immigrants arriving".
"Allowing 94% of illegal immigrants to stay will make no difference whatsoever and have no deterrent effect," he said."
