Labour admits ‘one-in, one-out’ deal costs £56k per migrant

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has confirmed that the government’s ‘one-in, one-out’ returns deal with France costs £56,000 per migrant, according to Daily Express. The disclosure follows months of mounting pressure over the true price of the pilot scheme.

Appearing before the Home Affairs Select Committee, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood revealed the eye-watering financial figure for the bilateral arrangement launched last year. Under the policy, the UK sends small boat arrivals back to France in exchange for taking in asylum seekers through designated legal routes.

According to the Daily Express, around 1,400 people have been removed under the scheme since its inception. However, the total cost per returned individual has now reached approximately £56,000 when factoring in detention, security, legal expenses, and transport.

I think it’s per person for the numbers that have been returned so far, it’s about £56,000.

— Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary, Daily Express

Defending the expense to sceptical MPs, the Home Secretary maintained that the figure remains comparable to or cheaper than housing an individual in a taxpayer-funded hotel for a full year. The £56,000 price tag also exceeds the Home Office’s previous estimated average of £48,800 for standard enforced removals.

• £56,000 spent per returned migrant under the French deal
• Approximately 1,400 removals recorded since the scheme began
• Costs outstrip standard enforced removals estimated at £48,800
• Pilot scheme faces an approaching deadline with France pushing for an EU-wide framework

Operational challenges have consistently dogged the arrangement, with both nations citing difficulties in scaling up weekly removal numbers. With the bilateral pilot scheduled to conclude, the long-term future of the returns agreement remains uncertain as French officials press for a broader European pact.

Original source: Read the full report at Daily Express