Britain hasn’t sent ANY migrants back to France under new policy, Home Office figures reveal
BRITAIN has not deported any migrants back to France under the post-Brexit policy, figures from the Home Office reveal.
Fresh rules were introduced last January, and between then and this September 70,000 migrants crossed the Channel in tiny boats.
The new policy states that asylum seekers can be declared "inadmissible" if they have travelled through a safe third country such as France where they could have applied for asylum.
In the 21-month period, more than 20,600 asylum claims were considered, but only 83 migrants were handed inadmissible decisions - meaning another country was responsible for their claim.
Out of those 83, 21 were returned - but none to France.
They were instead sent back to Germany, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.
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The rules inadmissible claims scheme was implemented at the end of the Brexit transition period to replace the EU's Dublin III Regulation which allowed the UK to return some asylum seekers to EU Member States without considering their asylum claims.
It comes after Home Secretary Suella Braverman admitted the Channel migrants crisis is “out of control”.
More than 40,000 have arrived in dinghies on UK shores this year — ten times the total in 2018.
But Ms Braverman has vowed to “take dramatic action” and change controversial laws to stop illegal immigrants playing the system.
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Top of her list is reforming the Modern Slavery Act so it is easier to boot out Channel migrants and foreign criminals.
Her plans are yet to be unveiled and she this week told the home affairs committee it will probably be revealed next year.
She is said to be considering how claims from "safe" countries could be fast-tracked so migrants from those nations can be removed within weeks of arriving.
A Home Office spokesman said: “People should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, rather than making dangerous journeys to the UK.
"That is why we have rules in place to make asylum claims inadmissible where people have travelled through or have a connection to safe countries.
“We continue to seek readmissions arrangements with other countries who have a mutual interest in preventing asylum seekers making dangerous and unnecessary journeys.
“The Migration and Economic Partnership with Rwanda will see those who make dangerous, illegal, and unnecessary journeys to the UK relocated to Rwanda.”
It comes after The Sun revealed the Home Office officials spent £1 million paying 300 illegal migrants to go home last year - less than arrived on a single day last week.
The under fire department splashed the cash on over 300 failed asylum seekers and visa overstayers who were being booted out of Britain.
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Failed migrants are entitled to £3,000 if they meet certain conditions if they agree to leave Britain.
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Around 330 were handed the payment, resulting in the million pound spend.