The Home Office has lost a Court of Appeal bid to challenge a High Court ruling granting an Eritrean man a temporary block on being deported to France.
The ruling will be a blow to ministers, who had been hoping to make headway with their “one in, one out” migrant returns deal with France.
Under the deal, the UK can send back any migrant who crosses the Channel illegally in return for accepting the same number of migrants in France who have a valid asylum claim here.
However, only four people have been deported under the scheme so far – prompting the Conservatives to brand the deal “meagre”.
The Home Office today confirmed that one Afghan individual was deported to France this afternoon.
The Eritrean man was granted a temporary block on his removal after he claimed he had been a victim of modern slavery.
The government has said up to 50 people a week could be deported under the scheme initially, but that they believed numbers would grow and eventually act as a deterrent to those considering making the dangerous journey across the Channel.
Last Friday saw more than 1,000 people cross the Channel to the UK in small boats – the day after the first migrant was deported under the “one in, one out” deal.
The latest Home Office figures show 1,072 people made the journey in 13 boats – averaging more than 82 people per boat.
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