Small boat migrants will be detained as part of France return deal
Small boat arrivals will be detained as part of a returns deal with France, Yvette Cooper has revealed.
The Home Secretary said migrants will be prevented from fleeing so they can be sent back across the Channel when a new trial scheme starts. She said the UK wants to extend the agreement - the first returns agreement the UK has struck with France since Brexit - "as far as we're able".
On Thursday Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced they had agreed on a one-in-one-out pilot scheme to deter small boat crossings. This will see people who come to the UK without authorisation returned to France in exchange for migrants with a legitimate case to settle in the UK.
Ms Cooper told BBC Radio 4's Today programme:"We will be detaining people certainly as the pilot is introduced and as the programme becomes operationalised." Pressed who would be detained, the Home Secretary said: "Those will be operational decisions and we will update people on those as we roll the programme out."
It is initially expended that 50 migrants a week will be returned to France, with 50 others going the other way. But Ms Cooper refused to be drawn on the number, hinting that it could rise higher in the future.
She said: "We will want to be able to extend this as far as we're able to where we will continue to build." She had earlier told Times Radio: "The numbers are not fixed, even for this pilot phase that we are starting now.
"So this will be a programme that we roll out step-by-step, and we will provide updates as we go. But we are going to do this in a steady way."
The Labour frontbencher said France is committed to stopping the crossings to end the "nightmare" of camps and people moving to northern towns like Calais.
The UK has long been seeking a returns deal with France, to replace a scheme it lost access to after Brexit. Ms Cooper said: "This is us working properly with our neighbouring countries in a way that frankly the previous Government never did.
"For six years they just shouted at France, they didn't work with France, they didn't get France to change their maritime rules, they didn't get France to come up with this new agreement that means we can return people to France. And it's something people have been calling for for a long time."
In a blistering statement on Thursday, Mr Macron claimed Brits had been told a pack of lies by Brexiteers about the impact on immigration. He said losing access to the Dublin Agreement - an EU wide deal that means migrants can be returned to the first country they entered - had been devastating for the UK.
Asked if he had a point, Ms Cooper told Sky News: ""I think what I've seen happen is that the way that the criminal smuggler gangs operate is that they will weaponise anything that is happening.
"And so what we saw in the run-up to Brexit being implemented was we saw criminal gangs promising people that they had to cross quickly, and they had to pay money to the smuggler gangs quickly in order to be able to cross in time before Brexit happened.
"As soon as Brexit happened, they then said 'Oh, well, now you've got to pay us money, because this means you can't be returned because the Dublin Agreement isn't in place'.
"So the thing about the criminal smuggler gangs is whatever arrangements are in place, they will use them in order to make money, but that's why we have to be fundamentally undermining their model."
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Telegraph
a few seconds ago
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Recognising Palestine will not solve Labour's electoral woes
In Scottish Labour ranks there used to be a saying: you can't out-nat the Nats. This was usually in response to armchair strategists who expressed the view that if only Labour in Scotland would embrace a more robust form of devolution – the 'full fiscal autonomy' model, or devo max, as it was called – then those who yearned for independence would consider supporting us. Naturally, such self-delusion was almost childishly easy to dismiss: why would nationalists vote for a unionist party that denied them the very thing they wanted? Why settle for 90 per cent of your ambition when an alternative party (the SNP) were promising to deliver 100 per cent? Labour's current troubles over whether to recognise Palestine formally as a nation reeks of the same cynicism and strategic folly. There are other hurdles to navigate before we even get to Labour's (relatively unimportant) internal squabbles: how do you recognise a country that doesn't exist? What is the point of recognising even a hypothetical country when no one can agree what its borders should be, where its capital is and who represents its leader or its government? More importantly, how would recognition by the UK aid the peace process? It is far more likely to do the opposite, since Hamas would (correctly) see it as a reward for the grotesque act of barbarism they inflicted on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, which led directly to the calamity now befalling their own people. Labour MPs, already nervous about their chances of re-election in a few years' time, believe that their chances of survival depend upon the recovery of their party's support among Britain's Muslim voters and recognition of Palestine, even though it can have no practical beneficial impact except in terms of propaganda. They are understandably concerned, not only about the imminent emergence of Jeremy Corbyn's latest political party – one that will specifically target voters disillusioned by Labour's current approach to Israel and Palestine and whose formation has been largely motivated by that conflict – but by others on the Left seeking to exploit the current conflict for their own electoral ends, like the Greens. So put yourself in the shoes of a British Muslim voter, one who has traditionally backed Labour, mainly because of its relaxed approach to mass immigration, not least from your ancestral home country. Two things have happened: first, the Conservatives have proved that Labour does not have a monopoly on support for mass immigration without the consent of the indigenous population. In fact, while in office they established that they were more enthusiastic about an open-door immigration policy than even Labour. And second, the conflict in Gaza exposed Labour as fair-weather friends to both Israel and Palestine. If, as Nye Bevan once said, those who cannot ride two horses at the same time shouldn't be in the circus, then the current administration might have to retire from the ring. The government started out supporting Israel in the face of the Islamist threat. Then, once in office, after it recognised the threat to its electoral strongholds from independent pro-Gaza candidates, it pivoted and jumped on the International Criminal Court bandwagon by allowing arrest warrants to be issued for Israel's prime minister for alleged 'war crimes'. Yet still ministers resist calls from shouty middle-class people in our city centres every weekend to boycott, disinvest and sanction Israel. Still they defend Israel's 'right to exist' – a point of principle that few pro-Palestinian protesters would concede. And now numerous Labour MPs actually seem to believe that recognising Palestine will bring all those disillusioned Muslim and far-Left voters home to Labour. But why would they come back? Why return to a party that, however much it has served their purposes in past decades, is now prevaricating over the one conflict in the region they have chosen to feel strongly about? Just as Scottish Labour could only hope to attract the support of nationalists by fully signing up to the fight for independence, so Labour cannot hope to thwart the appeal of Corbyn's new party on this issue – unless it follows Palestinian recognition, from the river to the sea, with a refusal to recognise Israel's right to exist or defend itself. It would also have to ban all Israeli imports and ban British companies from exporting to that country. Even then, would those lost voters return to Labour in big enough numbers? Why support a 'Johnny-come-lately' to the Palestinian cause when Jeremy has a proud record of describing Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists as his 'friends'? Beat that, Keir Starmer! The Prime Minister mustn't even try. You can't beat the far Left at their own game, at least not while hoping to retain the much more centrist and sensible voters who put you in office. The various weirdos, extremists and weekend paper-sellers that will form the activist base of Corbyn's new party have a lifetime's experience in opposing the only liberal democracy in the Middle East and yearn to see it replaced by the kind of Islamist dictatorship that has brought so much misery to ordinary Palestinians. Far better for Starmer to take the side of Israel as our long-term ally in western democracy's fight against worldwide Islamism.
Daily Mail
a few seconds ago
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Labour admits BREXIT is to thank for Britain securing a better US trade deal than Europe - as bloc's leaders hit out at their 'badly negotiated' agreement
Brexit is to thank for Britain securing a better trade deal with the US than Europe, Labour admitted yesterday. Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, said there was 'absolutely no doubt' that the UK was better off as a result of having its own trade policy. His comments came after Donald Trump announced he had agreed 'the biggest deal ever made' between the US and the European Union. The agreement will subject the EU to 15per cent tariffs on most of its goods entering America. It is lower than a 30per cent levy previously threatened by the US president - but worse than the UK's deal - and was quickly lambasted by European leaders. After a day playing golf in Scotland yesterday, Mr Trump met the president of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the broad terms of an agreement. But Viktor Orban, the Hungarian PM, hit out: 'Donald Trump ate von der Leyen for breakfast'. 'This is what happened and we suspected this would happen as the U.S. president is a heavyweight when it comes to negotiations while Madame President is featherweight.' Former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt branded the deal 'scandalous' and 'badly negotiated', saying there was 'not one concession from the American side'. French prime minister François Bayrou said: 'It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resolves to submission.' And Bernd Lange, the EU Parliament's trade chief, said: 'My first assessment: Not satisfactory. 'This is a lopsided deal. Concessions have clearly been made that are difficult to accept. Deal with significant imbalance. Furthermore lot of questions still open.' But Ms von der Leyen said the deal was 'huge', adding: 'It will bring stability. It will bring predictability. That's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.' Mr Trump said the 'partnership' would 'bring us very close together'. He added: 'I think it's great that we made a deal today instead of playing games and maybe not making a deal at all.' Full details of the deal have not yet been confirmed, and a written text still needs to be agreed. But the agreement is worse than a similar deal struck between the UK and US, which will see tariffs of only 10per cent placed on British exports. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds this morning admitted that the UK's favourable deal was a direct benefit of Brexit. He told Sky News: 'All of the trade negotiations that we've got use the fact that we are not part of the customs union anymore, I'm absolutely clear of that. I think we can make the best of that.' Pressed on whether he would call it a Brexit benefit, he added: 'I'm absolutely clear, I've said in Parliament many times, this is a benefit of being out of the European Union, having our independent trade policy, absolutely no doubt about that.' When the UK and US signed a trade deal in June, it reduced tariffs on car and aerospace imports to the US. But agreement on a similar arrangement for Britain's steel imports was not reached, leaving tariffs on steel at 25per cent. American concerns over steel products made elsewhere in the world, then finished in the UK, are said to be among the sticking points. Sir Keir Starmer is expected to spend most of the day with President Trump on Monday, when he will have a chance to press the president on a steel deal. But Business Secretary Mr Reynolds suggested it may take more than a meeting between the two leaders to resolve the matter, telling BBC Breakfast: 'We were very happy to announce the breakthrough that we had a few months ago in relation to sectors like automotive, aerospace, which are really important to the UK economy. 'But we always said it was job saved, but it wasn't job done. There's more to do. The negotiations have been going on on a daily basis since then. There's a few issues to push a little bit further today. 'We won't perhaps have anything to announce a resolution of those talks, but there's some sectors that we still need to resolve, particularly around steel and aluminium, and there's the wider conversation about what the US calls its reciprocal tariffs.'
The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
European leaders express concerns over new trade deal with US
Update: Date: 2025-07-28T11:09:02.000Z Title: the EU has a new trade deal with the US. Content: Benjamin Haddad, France's Europe minister, says deal will 'bring temporary stability' but is generally 'unbalanced', calling the situation 'not satisfactory' Jakub Krupa Mon 28 Jul 2025 12.09 BST First published on Mon 28 Jul 2025 09.05 BST From 9.05am BST 09:05 Jakub Krupa Good news: Bad news: There don't seem to be many people who think it's a particularly good deal. The framework agreement, agreed by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and US president Donald Trump at a late meeting in Scotland, manages to avert a damaging transatlantic trade war, imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods – half the threatened rate. German chancellor Friedrich Merz focused on the fact that it managed to keep the unity of the European Union and offer some stability to businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, even if he would have liked the deal to achieve more. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said she needed to see the details of the deal to assess it further, asking questions about possible exemptions, promises of European investment and gas purchases from the US, and how to help affected industries. French Europe minister Benjamin Haddad said that while the deal would 'bring temporary stability,' it was generally 'unbalanced,' calling the situation 'not satisfactory and … not sustainable.' Not ideal. Global markets responded positively, as you can see on our business live blog, but there is much more to this deal than that. It is not business as usual. Elsewhere, I will be looking at Spain where the country's embattled prime minister Pedro Sánchez is due to give a summer press conference and the latest reports from Ukraine. I will bring you all key updates from across Europe today. It's Monday, 28 July 2025, it's Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning. 12.02pm BST 12:02 Meanwhile over in Madrid, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez is the latest to publicly respond to the EU-US agreement, saying wearily he supports the deal 'without any enthusiasm'. He says that Europe needs to draw lessons from this situation and double down on its plans to achieve strategic autonomy and develop better trade ties with other countries, including the Mercosur bloc. He says the EU needs to diversify its trade relations with other countries, and he supports von der Leyen's ambition to get deals with Indonesia and India. Updated at 12.09pm BST 11.41am BST 11:41 Responding to some criticism coming from the member states, Šefčovič warns them that the world as we knew it before April, and Trump's new trade policy, 'is gone.' He says the EU needs to adjust and a strategic deal with the US is the best possibly option. He repeats that 30% tariffs, the default scenario without the deal, would put companies under dramatic pressure and lead to substantial job losses, potentially eventually putting the EU to negotiate in worse circumstances. This is the best deal we could get under very difficult circumstances. Šefčovič adds that the conversation with the US yesterday started with a 30% tariff threat. He adds that the deal was not only about trade, but also about broader security, Ukraine, and joint response to growing geopolitical volatility through keeping the US on side in future talks. 'I'm 100 percent sure that this deal is better than a trade war with the United States,' he says. Updated at 11.56am BST 11.32am BST 11:32 On China, Šefčovič says 'despite the strenuous efforts of my colleagues and myself and several long meetings with my Chinese counterpart,' there are growing trade issues with 'the list of accumulated issues on the table' not getting any shorter. He specifically talks about subsidies, access to public procurements, and critical raw materials and export permissions. 11.25am BST 11:25 Šefčovič also talks about the energy part of the deal, saying that given the EU 'will be phasing out the Russian energy supply by 2027, it is very clear that Europe will need to solid, consolidated and reliant supply of energy,' not just LNG, but also oil and nuclear. He also stresses the importance of working with the US on developing technologies, including high-quality chips for AI. Updated at 11.25am BST 11.22am BST 11:22 Šefčovič says the EU's view is that 15% is 'acceptable' if it is 'inclusive', meaning with no stacking tariffs and further changes. He says that politically the two sides are 'opening a new chapter' and 'understand each other's senstiivties, perspectives' better after these negotiations. 11.21am BST 11:21 Not surprisingly, Šefčovič highlights what he sees as positives of the deal – including on steel, cars and future technologies - and confirms he briefed the member states and members of the European Parliament earlier today. He stresses that 'all in all, this is an agreement which should generate meaningful and mutual benefits, and I hope it will be a stepping stone to a broader EU US trade and investment agreement in the future.' 11.17am BST 11:17 Šefčovič opens by saying the deal 'brings renewed stability and opens door to strategic collaboration.' He says it's important to 'pause … and consider an alternative.' He says: 'A trade war may seem appealing to some, but it comes with serious consequences. With at least a 30% tariff, our transatlantic trade would effectively come to a halt, putting close to 5 million of jobs, including those in SMEs in Europe, at grave risk.' He says that businesses wanted to 'avoid escalation and work towards a solution that delivers immediate relief.' 11.13am BST 11:13 Jakub Krupa EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič's press briefing is about to start. You can watch it live below, but I will bring you all the latest updates here. 11.00am BST 11:00 Kate Connolly Reactions from Europe's largest economy over the Trump tariff deal hatched in Turnberry, Scotland at the weekend, have inevitably been mixed, with some breathing a sigh of relief that there is finally a concrete figure to work with, but others exasperated, and warning that with such an unpredictable US president, it would be foolhardy to see the figure agreed upon as set in stone. MPs from Ursula von der Leyen's own political heimat, the CDU, as well as leading German economists have reacted with disappointment and urged caution. Manfred Weber, leader of the European People's Party in the European parliament, described the deal as 'merely damage limitation,' in an interview with Bild, and nothing to be celebrated. The result, he told the tabloid, 'is certainly better than many had feared.' At least, he said, 'it gives the European economy planning security'. He said the deal had made clear the importance of forging trade deals with other parts of the world, and had at least reinforced the importance of an integrated single market (even as non-EU member UK has struck a better deal). The economic policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU, Andreas Lenz, said 15% was surely better than the 30% previously suggested, but was a 'painful compromise', which harmed both economy and consumers. The most positive aspect of the agreement for the German economy, of course, is that the current 27.5% tariffs on cars, will be reduced to 15% Chancellor Friedrich Merz clung to the car customs cut in his attempt to put a positive spin on the whole deal, which he said would at least avoid an unnecessary escalation in transatlantic trade relations. 'With this agreement, we have succeeded in averting a trade conflict that would have hit the export-oriented German economy hard. This applies particularly to the automotive industry, where the current tariffs will be almost halved from 27.5 percent to 15 percent. It is precisely here that the rapid reduction of tariffs is of utmost importance,' he said on Sunday. However, the lack of a deal on aluminium and steel, currently expected to be 50%, hangs heavily over economic movers and shakers this morning. Wolfgang Niedermark, foreign trade expert at the Federation of German Industries (BDI), called it an 'additional blow' and said it sent 'a fatal signal to the closely intertwined economies on both sides of the Atlantic.' 10.45am BST 10:45 Jakub Krupa We should get more detail on the deal from EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič as he is expected to speak at the European Commission's press conference at the top of the hour. We will bring it live on the blog. 10.44am BST 10:44 Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels The zero rate tariff on US imports will not apply to sensitive agricultural products, senior officials in Brussels have confirmed. Specifically this means exports from the US of beef, rice, ethanol, poultry, and sugar are not included in the deal clinched last night. The concessions on tariffs have only been made on agricultural products that the EU does not grow or produce including nuts. 10.29am BST 10:29 Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels The 15% tariff agreed in the EU-US deal will apply to 70% of all exports to the US worth €380bn, officials have said. Rates on pharma and steel are still being negotiated and are not expected to conclude by Friday, Donald Trump's self-imposed deal for a deadline. While the talks continue, a zero tariff rate will continue to apply on pharma and 50% on steel. Wine and spirits are still being negotiated with talks more advanced on spirits than wine. The EU will lower what it calls 'nuisance' or negligible tariffs on a group of products including non-sensitive agricultural products worth about €70bn a year. The €600bn investments in the US, referred to in the deal last night refer to private investments already or about to be committed by private businesses. It does not refer to any EU fund. Zero rated tariffs on US exports to the US will apply to a range of still to be finalised products that include nuts, lobster, processed fish, cheeses, some dairy products, and pet food. Exports to the US that will be zero rated including aircraft and aircraft parts, some medical devices and some non-available natural resources such as cork used as bottle stoppers and flooring. 10.27am BST 10:27 Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels Tariffs on pharmaceuticals exported from the EU to the US will never go above 15% under the deal struck last night between Donald Trump and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Senior EU officials have said they will remain zero rated until such time as Trump completes his 232 national security investigation into pharmaceuticals. But if he does, at the end of that, decide to impose tariffs on EU imports, they will be set at a top level of 15%. This explains the contradictory statements last night between Trump and von der Leyen with the former claiming medicines were not in the tariff deal and the European Commission chief saying they were. On steel, EU officials have confirmed, they are now going to open negotiations on a quota. This is not for presidential negotiations, they have said. On value of deal, EU officials have said that the 15% tariff will apply to 70% of all exports to the US. Updated at 10.28am BST 9.38am BST 09:38 French prime minister François Bayrou joined the growing list of European leaders expressing their less-than-enthusiastic reactions to the EU-US trade deal. In his first reaction on social media, he said: Von der Leyen-Trump Agreement: it is a sombre day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resigns themselves to submission. 9.35am BST 09:35 Senior Zelenskyy aide Andriy Yermak posted a video of a tower bloc in Kyiv hit by Russian drones saying 'this is how Putin responds to calls to end the war and sit down at the table' after another night of attacks on Ukrainian cities. 324 Russian drones and 7 missiles were reported overnight. Yermak sought to increase pressure on Russia, saying 'there is no alternative to sanctions, increasing Ukraine's long-range capabilities, and tough actions against Putin's entourage and himself.' [Putin] wants nothing but war and Ukraine's defeat. And there will be no defeat. Yermak also warned that Russians were also 'testing Nato's reactions' with drones crossing into other countries, warning that these 'signals cannot be ignored' – a reference to the earlier drone incident in Lithuania (10:20). 9.20am BST 09:20 An unmanned drone is believed to have entered the Lithuanian airspace overnight from Belarus, a second this month, with residents in the capital city of Vilnius reporting the characteristic sound and later receiving an alert from authorities about the incident. Locals were told to be cautious and not to approach the object, which was believed to have crashed in the early hours of this morning. It was earlier sighted close to Vilnius, flying at an altitude of 200 meters, Lithuanian media reported, posting a grainy footage of the object. The search for the drone continued this morning, and authorities told reporters they had no clarity on whether the object posed any danger. But defence miniser Dovilė Šakalienė said that additional resources will be directed to monitor the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. If confirmed, it would be a second case of an unmanned flying object entering Lithuanian airspace from Belarus after a decoy Gerbera drone crashed near the border at the beginning of July. 9.18am BST 09:18 Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels While EU leaders can breathe a huge sigh of relief that a trade deal with the US is done, the agreement is being widely seen as a victory for Donald Trump. Several commercial banks have told clients this morning it is an 'asymmetrical' deal favouring the US over the EU. As if to underline the contrasting fortunes of China which imposed retaliatory tariffs from the beginning, Trump has just made further concessions to Beijing. It emerged on Monday, that Washington has paused curbs on tech exports to China to avoid disrupting trade talks with Beijing and support Trump's efforts to secure a meeting with President Xi Jinping this year. The industry and security bureau of the US Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, has been told in recent months to avoid tough moves on China, the newspaper said, citing current and former officials. The EU acknowledges that the deal is worse than the zero-zero tariff deal it offered Trump in April. 'Fifteen percent is not to be underestimated, but it is the best we could get,' European Commision chief Ursula von der Leyen admitted last night. Stability and predictability would be returned to Europe's businesses and markets, she said describing the deal in Trump like terms as 'huge'. But Renew group MEP Sandro Gozi described the deal as 'unbalanced and dangerously shortsighted.' Hildegard Müller, president of the German car industry federation, the VDA, said 'further escalation' of a tariff and potentially trade war has been averted but added the deal would push costs up for an industry, already struggling against Chinese rivals. 'The US tariff of 15 per cent on automotive products will cost German automotive companies billions annually and place a burden on them in the midst of their transformation.' And financial institutions? 'Is this a good deal for the EU? Probably not. The outcome is heavily asymmetrical, and it leaves US tariffs on imported EU goods at much higher levels than EU tariffs on imports from the US,' Unicredit said in a note to clients. 9.05am BST 09:05 Jakub Krupa Good news: Bad news: There don't seem to be many people who think it's a particularly good deal. The framework agreement, agreed by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and US president Donald Trump at a late meeting in Scotland, manages to avert a damaging transatlantic trade war, imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods – half the threatened rate. German chancellor Friedrich Merz focused on the fact that it managed to keep the unity of the European Union and offer some stability to businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, even if he would have liked the deal to achieve more. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said she needed to see the details of the deal to assess it further, asking questions about possible exemptions, promises of European investment and gas purchases from the US, and how to help affected industries. French Europe minister Benjamin Haddad said that while the deal would 'bring temporary stability,' it was generally 'unbalanced,' calling the situation 'not satisfactory and … not sustainable.' Not ideal. Global markets responded positively, as you can see on our business live blog, but there is much more to this deal than that. It is not business as usual. Elsewhere, I will be looking at Spain where the country's embattled prime minister Pedro Sánchez is due to give a summer press conference and the latest reports from Ukraine. I will bring you all key updates from across Europe today. It's Monday, 28 July 2025, it's Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.
