Keir Starmer accused of 'gaslighting' the British public for making 'grossly exaggerated' claims about the new 'one-in, one-out' migrant deal
Labour announced it had detained the first small boat migrants under its 'one in, one out' returns treaty with France.
But despite the narrow scope of the pilot scheme and the likelihood of long-running legal challenges, the Prime Minister took to social media to claim: 'If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back.'
Writing on X, he added: 'No gimmicks, just results.'
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also appeared to overstate the likely impact of her scheme, claiming that 'every migrant' will be 'throwing away their money if they get into a small boat'.
The Home Office refused to disclose how many Channel migrants had been held yesterday.
But any efforts to send them back to France are likely to lead to human rights claims and other legal actions which could delay removals for months, or longer.
The Anglo-French agreement will expire in ten months' time, with any renewal then in doubt as the next French presidential election campaign will, by then, be gathering pace.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also appeared to overstate the likely impact of her scheme, claiming that 'every migrant' will be 'throwing away their money if they get into a small boat'
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'The PM is gaslighting the British public. His tweet is a gross exaggeration of what this paltry scheme will do.
'We understand that only 6 per cent of illegal arrivals will get removed, meaning 94 per cent will stay.
'That is no deterrent, and Starmer's misleading claims won't fool anyone, least of all the people smugglers who have had a record year under Labour.'
He said the Government's scheme would 'get bogged down in an endless legal quagmire' because 'any migrants claiming to be under 18, or who make a modern slavery or human rights claim, will not get removed'.
Former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said the Anglo-French deal was a 'complete waste of time'.
'It's a fake. It's a phony, it's a cheat on the British people,' he told GB News. 'It's a bogus deal, it's a complete waste of time.'
He said the arrangement for those making human rights claims was an 'extraordinary loophole that means almost no one can be deported'.
The first Channel migrants to be selected for removal to France were filmed arriving at a detention centre yesterday after being processed at the former RAF Manston air base in Kent.
Video clips released by the Home Office showed men in grey tracksuits disembarking from a van.
Later, up to six men – whose faces are obscured – are seen sitting in a corridor of the removal centre.
They were among 155 who reached Britain on Wednesday, taking the total for the year to 25,591, up 45 per cent on the same point last year.
Those not selected for removal will be taken on to taxpayer-funded asylum hotels.
The Daily Mail understands that pro-migrant groups have already begun informal discussions about launching a joint legal action against Labour's plan – just as they did against the Conservatives' Rwanda asylum scheme.
Steve Smith, of migrant charity Care4Calais which took part in legal action against Rwanda in 2022, described Labour's deal as 'morally repugnant' and 'abhorrent'
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