Starmer urged to consider one-in, one-out migrant exchange scheme
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to use next month's UK-France summit to strike a one-in, one-out migrant returns deal.
A report by the Migration Policy Institute, a global immigration think tank based in Washington DC, has set out detailed proposals for France and the UK to pursue before the summit.
It proposes setting up a series of hubs across France which would screen asylum seekers for eligibility for the UK. Under the plans, France would take back one small boat migrant for each asylum seeker resettled to the UK from the hubs.
It would be modelled on the United States' Safe Mobility Offices scheme, which was introduced by the Biden administration in 2023 across countries in South and Central America to screen migrants for asylum before they are exploited by people smugglers and trafficked across borders.
It helped individuals find support and access a wide range of services in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala and was credited with a reduction in illegal migration from the countries.
In April France opened the door to taking back Channel migrants for the first time after Bruno Retailleau, the French interior minister, said that it would 'send a clear message' to others planning to make the journey.
• Chaos on a French beach as police try to stop migrants
His comments have raised hopes among officials and ministers in the UK government that a breakthrough is possible after failed attempts by successive UK governments to persuade France to agree to take back migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats.
More than 100 migrants are estimated to have crossed the Channel on Thursday, taking the total number of arrivals over the last nine days to more than 2,500.
A total of 17,278 have arrived so far this year, up 50 per cent compared with last year. Downing Street admitted earlier this week that the situation in the Channel was 'deteriorating'.
The Migration Policy Institute report proposes that the hubs in France would prioritise individuals with connections in Britain and those from countries with high asylum grant rates such as Sudan, which has a 98 per cent acceptance rate, and Eritrea, which has an 86 per cent grant rate.
It recommends starting with a pilot programme that would exchange one migrant back to France for each asylum seeker going the other way following successful screening.
The programme should operate with a monthly quota that is linked to the numbers returned to France from the UK.
• How small boats crisis is linked to rise in rough sleeping
The think tank said that the scheme would provide predictable admissions numbers that the UK government could communicate clearly to the public and would regain control of its borders.
The report suggests using artificial intelligence to help support processing migrants' applications at the hubs.
It argues that such a system would strengthen the deterrent effect of a returns agreement between the two countries because it would provide a viable and safe alternative to smuggler-facilitated crossings for a segment of the population most at risk of making such journeys.
It would also reduce the danger of migrant journeys for the most vulnerable migrants who are most likely to be granted asylum, thereby saving lives.
The detailed report also recommends creating a bilateral digital screening pilot that would mirror the EU's Eurodac scheme, which shares the fingerprints and other details of asylum seekers.
• French police tear-gas child migrants trying to board dinghy
This Eurodac-lite scheme would enable British border officials to check the biometrics of arrivals in the UK against the Eurodac system and thereby facilitate re-admissions from the UK to France. French liaison officers could be stationed at UK intake sites with secure tablets granting read‑only access to Eurodac data.
The report said that combining re-admissions with a viable legal alternative held the best chance of curtailing the pull factors for these crossings.
The UK-France summit, to be held on July 8-10, is also expected to rubber stamp new French police tactics allowing officers to intercept migrant boats up to 300 metres into the water.
However, Care4Calais, the charity that led the successful legal challenge against the Rwanda policy, has said it is considering legal action against the plans.
The Migration Policy Institute also proposes that France and the UK operate shared charter flights to reduce the possibility of secondary attempts to cross the Channel.
Insufficient flight capacity is one of the major obstacles for France's attempts to deport migrants, according to the report.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Friday briefing: The historic and controversial assisted dying bill nears its final hurdle
Morning. The UK once again faces a historic decision. MPs will today have their final chance to debate and vote on the contentious assisted dying bill. If it passes, it will move to the House of Lords and if approved could become law as early as October. As it stands, the proposed legislation for England and Wales would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to apply for an assisted death. The bill passed its second reading with a majority of 55 last November. But since then, the issue has become increasingly emotionally and politically charged, with both sides accusing campaigners and MPs of making divisive remarks or acting unjustly. Demonstrators for and against the bill have gathered outside parliament at every stage to make their voices heard. Supporters of the bill, led by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, say it is returning to the Commons with strengthened safeguards. The vote was delayed after a months-long committee stage, which considered more than 150 amendments earlier this year. But opponents argue the bill still lacks sufficient protections for vulnerable people, and has been rushed. The numbers are expected to be far tighter this time, though supporters are still confident the bill will pass. While some MPs are thought to have moved to support the bill, more are believed to have switched sides to oppose it. How has the bill changed since last year's vote? What impact has that had on both its supporters and critics? And if it passes, what happens next? To answer those thorny questions, I spoke to Jessica Elgot, the Guardian's deputy political editor. That's after the headlines. Middle East crisis | Donald Trump has set a two-week deadline to decide whether the US will join Israel's war with Iran, allowing time to seek a negotiated end to the conflict, the White House has said. UK news | The political 'tug of war with vulnerable women' abused by grooming gangs must stop before a new national inquiry into the crimes, survivors have told the Guardian. Environment | Rampant climate misinformation is turning the crisis into a catastrophe, according to the authors of a new report. It found climate action was being obstructed by false and misleading information. UK news | A man feared to be one of the worst sexual offenders in British history has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years for drugging and raping 10 women. Weather | Amber weather alerts have been issued across England as temperatures are expected to rise sharply across the country. The bill has gone through significant changes since it was voted on last November. The most controversial is a change from what had been first proposed, that a high court judge would have final say on every case. Now, it will be a panel, which would include a psychiatrist, a social worker, and a senior lawyer. 'This is very much what I would describe as vibes-based legislation, in that it's obviously impractical for a high court judge to decide on every case,' Jessica said. 'But for lots of people who were voting in favour of it, it sounded really safe. But once it got to the committee stages, when they start to look at the practical application, it became obvious that it wouldn't work. There are 19 high court judges in the family court division in England and Wales.' Some suggest the proposal of a panel brings more relevant expertise, especially on issues like coercion. 'But it's harder for Leadbeater (pictured above, centre) to make the case that it's 'the safest and most robust bill in the world' without that judicial oversight,' Jessica added. A number of amendments have been accepted to the bill. Medics will not be allowed to raise assisted dying as an option with under-18s, and advertising will be banned. Other amendments include a provision for assisted deaths not to automatically be referred to a coroner and an attempt to regulate substances for use in assisted dying. 'They've accepted a few opposition amendments, which is their way of showing that they're listening,' Jessica explained. They include an amendment by Naz Shah, who was a very vocal opponent of the bill, about anorexia. There was a fear from some eating disorder campaigners that anorexia can get so serious towards the end that it could basically be considered terminal. 'So there will be a specific clause, proposed by Shah, to make sure that doesn't happen and they've accepted that. There's also one from another opponent, Munira Wilson, the Lib Dem MP. She wants the secretary of state to have a duty to report on the condition of palliative care services. Again, another big fear for opponents of the bill is that people will want to access assisted dying simply because the state of services is so poor that people choose to end their own life when with the right pain management and care, their life could be prolonged.' The last amendment is a key moral and political point for Labour, Jessica added. It's hard to square saying 'we need to fix the NHS' while also offering assisted dying. 'Politically, Wes Streeting thinks that's a very dangerous thing for the government to be seen to be doing. The government will ultimately have to take responsibility for this bill, even if it keeps saying the government's neutral and it's a private member's bill. From public perception, it will be this Labour government that made it happen. And No 10 know that.' The debate has deteriorated on both sides The anger and distrust between the opposing sides has ramped up considerably since the bill first passed. 'People often talk about parliament at its best, where MPs make extraordinarily powerful speeches on both sides that are very passionate, where it doesn't become party political. It's just about taking on your opponent's arguments, rather than aspersions made about what people's motivations may or may not be. I think that we have seen that start to disintegrate over the past six months, on both sides,' Jessica told me. Those who support the bill accuse the other side of being driven by well-funded rightwing Christian groups, with people not disclosing religious motivations and instead claiming safeguarding concerns that are often theoretical or implausible, Jessica added. They've also been accused of using procedural tactics to delay the bill. On the other side, critics of the bill say that Leadbeater's treatment of colleagues who oppose her has been poor. They argue there are so many loopholes, and that this is all being pushed through as a cost-saving measure for the NHS. 'Things have become very personal and that has been fuelled by the fact that it's become a big deal on social media,' Jessica said. Who has changed their mind? In terms of how people are voting, there's been some movement, Jessica tells me. 'Minister Chris Bryant has now moved to yes; he abstained at the last vote. And Ellie Reeves, the Labour chair, who also abstained last time, is now expected to vote yes. 'But there's been much more traffic the other way. A few Conservatives, including former minister George Freeman, and one Reform MP and a former one, Lee Anderson and Rupert Lowe, as well as some Labour MPs, some of whom either previously abstained or voted for the bill. Others include former health minister Andrew Gwynne, he abstained, and he's now voting against, and the chair of the work and pensions select committee, Debbie Abrahams, who also previously abstained and is now voting against. These are relatively high-profile people,' Jessica explained. LabourList provides a useful overview of Labour MPs who have switched sides. There are also people who won't be there, because the date of the bill changed a few times. 'So a lot of it's up in the air. David Lammy, for example, who is against the bill, will be in Geneva for a meeting of foreign ministers because of the international crisis. There are lots of different things going on in the margins, in terms of who can or can't be there, which makes turnout really important,' Jessica said. What happens next? If the bill passes its third reading in the House of Commons, it then has to pass the Lords, where there will be more debate and scrutiny. But, Jessica said, once a bill like this, about a major issue of conscience, passes the elected house, she has no expectations that the Lords will block it. 'The pro side hope that it would get royal assent, which would mean it becomes law by around October. After that, there's a four-year implementation period,' Jessica said. Assisted dying is becoming more normalised across the western world. Countries that have legalised it include the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada, as well as US states like Oregon. 'In Canada, the law is much wider,' Jessica said. 'There have been a lot more controversial cases and it's almost seen as a kind of cautionary tale.' Jessica explains that many of the cases we remember from media reports, including those who travelled to Dignitas in Switzerland, involved individuals with neurological conditions like motor neurone disease or Parkinson's. 'These are people who feared losing their cognitive function or dignity, and that's what motivated them to seek an assisted death. But under this bill, they wouldn't be eligible. It only applies to people with a terminal illness.' The disconnect between public perception and the bill's actual scope could spark its own wave of controversy. But for now, campaigners on both sides are bracing themselves for the outcome of this fateful vote. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The Guardian's Lanre Bakare writes movingly in this column about the racial violence in Ballymena and its place in the deep record of anti-immigrant violence in Britain. Charlie Lindlar, acting deputy editor, newsletters Labour MP Natalie Fleet, 41, sees her teenage relationship as grooming and statutory rape. In a moving interview, she reflects on making sense of it, adjusting to the truth, and campaigning for change. Aamna Patrick Greenfield reports from Kassel, Germany on the city's unlikely problem with raccoons – and the residents' quandary about how to live with the rogue rodents. 'We love them but we also hate them.' Charlie His new film 28 Years Later imagines a zombie-infested Britain – but Danny Boyle says that he remains optimistic. He tells Xan Brooks the one thing he regrets about his 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, and why he wouldn't make Slumdog Millionaire today. Alex Needham, acting head of newsletters Rarely has Saturday magazine's You be the judge column been more fascinating than this week's entry, which sees two colleagues debate how many cakes in the office is too many. Who's in the wrong? You decide … Charlie Horse racing | Seven-year-old Trawlerman won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in impressive style by seven lengths. Cricket | Ben Stokes has described England's recent lack of Test action as 'a bit odd' but playing just one game in the past six months has given them space to reconsider their approach before the series against India. Football | Rhian Wilkinson hopes Wales can conquer their 'Everest' at Euro 2025 after naming her squad at the top of the country's highest mountain. The Guardian splashes with 'Trump will decide on Iran attack 'within two weeks''. (He gave Vladimir Putin two weeks as well, about three weeks ago.) The Times says 'Trump steps back from brink of bombing Iran' while the Financial Times goes with 'Trump raises prospect of Iran talks and sets countdown on joining war'. The Telegraph has 'Labour MPs turn on assisted dying Bill' while the Express goes with 'Allow us the choice to have a good death' and the Daily Mail says 'Jenrick: I'll vote no to assisted dying for my nana's sake'. The i paper reports 'It's official: justice for victims of the second Post Office computer scandal'. The top story in the Metro is headlined 'Haunted by PhD rapist' under the strapline 'As evil Zou jailed, woman tells of ordeals'. 'Glitter: I'm a danger' – so said the paedophile to the Parole Board, which is not letting him out, the Mirror tells us. Our critics' roundup of the best things to watch, read, play and listen to right now TVShifty | ★★★★☆ Ian Curtis's latest is a rare purely UK-focused dissection of recent history, built around the idea that the growing atomisation of society has ushered in an age in which the concept of a shared reality on which we can all depend has dissolved – and with it any hope of a functioning democracy. We stop before Brexit and Donald Trump, but it is clear how Curtis believes the seeds have been sown for all our current sorrows. Is the viewer persuaded? It depends where you start from, of course – and it will depend perhaps even more on how you feel about this most Marmite of film-makers. Lucy Mangan Film Elio | ★★★☆☆ There are some sweet retro-Spielbergian thrills in Pixar's amiable new family animation. It has charm, likability and that potent ingredient: childhood loneliness and vulnerability. Its opening act is set aboard a military base where an ambitious young officer has postponed or even abandoned her dream of being an astronaut to look after her orphaned nephew. But once the film leaves planet Earth and its recognisably real, lump-in-the-throat emotional world and inhabits the goofy multi-voiced arena of space aliens, it loses, for me, a little (though not all) of its charge. Peter Bradshaw Theatre4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane, Royal Court theatre, London Variously abstruse and lucid in its arguments on life, death and suicide, and still original in form – but this production feels like the reconstruction of a seminal performance rather than a seminal performance for today. Maybe this is because Kane's position has changed in the intervening decades: she sits firmly in the canon. So this replica-like revival has the strange effect of a museum piece in this 'new writing' space, posthumous and reverential. 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Rachel Aroesti Film-maker Adam Curtis on why this moment feels so weird The award-winning film-maker talks to Michael Safi about the big ideas that have run out of road A bit of good news to remind you that the world's not all bad From Paris to Amsterdam to Oslo, this week Guardian correspondents reported on the rising number of urban swimmers taking a dip in their city rivers. Why are more Europeans are taking the plunge? Whether it's self-started social swim club in Copenhagen or a 300-strong 'Dip-Dip-Hurrah' protest asking for better access to urban waters in Berlin, it's all about community and seeing and experiencing their cities in a new way. As for all the yucky stuff you might worry about? 'I'm not worried,' says one Berliner with classic German pragmatism. 'I'm a farmer's son and grew up swimming in ponds with thousands of catfish and leeches.' Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday And finally, the Guardian's puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
‘Henrys' ditch Starmer as Labour taxes them to oblivion
Feeling disgruntled that Kier Starmer did a volte-face on winter fuel payments for pensioners? Earning over £100,000 but strapped for cash at the end of the month? Are you a young professional struggling to build wealth even though you're in a top tax bracket? Welcome to the world of Henrys (High Earner, Not Rich Yet), a growing group of young workers who are well paid on paper but still feel like they are struggling in Starmer's high-tax Britain. Henrys often work in lucrative sectors such as technology, law and financial services but feel like they are just getting by because of childcare costs, a growing list of daily expenses and high tax levels that leave them unable to save at the end of the month. There are around 800,000 of them across England and Wales, according to estimates by The Telegraph based on the number of young people in the top 10pc of earners. Rising tax burdens and childcare benefit cliff edges for those on incomes of over £100,000 have left this group feeling hard done by. In opposition, Starmer suggested that Labour were the party of Henrys. Labour's 'number one mission is wealth creation', he said in May 2024. His 'driving principle' was to 'lower taxes' and encourage economic growth, he told this paper in 2023. Yet many aspirational young voters who backed Labour now feel hoodwinked. Labour mounted a record £40bn tax raid in their first Budget and there is mounting speculation that more could be to come. High earners are already paying a disproportionate amount of tax. Around 60pc of all income tax revenue comes from the top 10pc of earners, which covers those earning over £70,000. That proportion has risen from around 50pc in 2010. The UK's tax burden currently stands at its highest level in history, according to the OECD. Yet for a median earner, direct taxes have fallen to their lowest level in decades. 'I think the reliance on high earners ... there's been a bit of a continuous process over the past 10 or 15 years,' says Alex Mengden, of the Tax Foundation. Tax take from high earners rose between the 1980s and 2010 but this was largely driven by the 1pc racing away from the rest. That picture has changed since the financial crash. 'What's been happening over the past 15 years is actually incomes at the top haven't been racing away in quite they way they have been before but it's more been because of deliberate policy decisions that we've seen tax rises at the top,' says Stuart Adam at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). 'If you want the tax system to be redistributive, and clearly the best off have the broadest shoulders in that sense, you might say 'Great, that's a good thing'. But there are clearly risks that come with that.' Henrys have had enough. They have taken to Reddit, X and other social media platforms to complain about the Labour Government's attitude towards their six-figure salaries. Not only are they angry about how much they are taxed, they are also concerned about how their money is being spent by the Government. After reversing his decision to scrap the winter fuel allowance – at the cost of £1.5bn – disgruntled Henrys lashed out at pensioners online. On a Reddit forum devoted to Henrys in the UK, one user called retirees 'generation leech' and another chimed in calling them 'the locust generation'. An even more aggrieved user simply labelled pensioners 'wealthy b------s'. 'Turns out they are the only generation in society who seem to get what they want when they throw their toys out of the pram,' one user wrote. 'Meanwhile complaints about tax traps/fiscal drag, childcare allowances/falling birth rates, growth, infrastructure development, investing in public services all fall on deaf ears.' Worse may yet be to come. As the autumn Budget looms around the corner, Rachel Reeves is faced with growing pressure to meet her 'iron clad' fiscal rules. Yet, to do this ING has estimated that the Chancellor will have to increase taxes by £10bn to £15bn, with a further £10bn required to restore her fiscal headroom. 'There is one juicy apple left on the tree. That is to extend the freeze on tax thresholds,' ING's economists warned. David Denton, of the wealth manager Quilter Cheviot, says: 'The tactic that's been employed – probably very heavily since the late '90s when Gordon Brown was chancellor – was the stealth tax of fiscal drag, so you freeze relief, allowance and exemptions. 'Ultimately, in your pocket you have less but it's not as obvious at the outset as tax going up.' Around 1.8m people across the UK are on salaries of £100,000 or more but this is set to rise to 2.2m by the next election, according to estimates from the IFS. Freezing thresholds will drag many more into paying higher rates of tax. Income tax thresholds are already frozen in cash terms until 2028. Extending that freeze to the end of the decade would add £9bn back into the public finances, according to calculations by the IFS. 'Successive governments have increased the tax burden at the top of the distribution, for those with high earnings and high wealth,' says Adam. Nothing comes for free, however, and the cost will likely be the support of Henrys. Amid a slump in the polls and the rapid growth of Reform, Labour is said to be conscious that it needs to win over the Henrys at the next election. However, as the Government keeps piling the pressure on with taxes, some of whom warily found a home in Labour at last year's election are now turning away. If their grumbles online are anything to go by, many may not be so eager to lend their vote to Labour by the time the next election rolls around. 'When will we as a country grow up and ask our senior citizens to downsize? Why is the triple lock in place?,' one Reddit user wrote in response to a recent post on HenrysUK. 'This just punishes the middle class who pay the second-largest amount of tax. It's diabolical.'
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Defence spending fails to account for spiralling cost of nuclear deterrent
Defence spending failed to account for the spiralling cost of Britain's nuclear deterrent, MPs have said. A report by the public accounts committee into the Ministry of Defence's spending plans has found that the rising costs of maintaining the nuclear deterrent and submarines risk squeezing budgets for 'conventional capabilities'. It comes after the Government recently published its strategic defence review (SDR), which aimed to show how the Armed Forces will adapt to future battlefields. It committed to renewing the nuclear deterrent while also spending £40 billion on new equipment for the Army and investing in a sixth-generation fighter. However, the committee's report called on the Government to be transparent regarding the 'specific cost details in the specific area of nuclear'. It called for the MoD to publish an equipment plan, which it said should provide a 'window' into the department's spending but has not been published since 2023. The report authors also said that they wanted 'to be assured on the risk of funding not being sucked away from other vital areas earmarked for growth in the SDR'. 'The Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) remains a cornerstone of the UK's defence strategy,' it said. 'However, its cost continues to rise, and there is a risk that these increases will squeeze the budgets for conventional capabilities.' The report states that the nuclear budget was £10.9 billion, around 18 per cent of the whole defence budget in 2024-25. But forecast costs for the DNE for the 10 years from 2023 until 2033 have increased to approximately £128 billion, up from the £117.8 billion reported in the National Audit Offices's 2023 equipment plan report. 'The prioritisation of the DNE has led to government creating a ring-fence which prevents the department from using elsewhere money allocated to delivering the DNE, but which allows money to flow the other way,' the report said. 'The department recognises that one of the big capability questions it must answer through the SDR and its follow-on work is the balance of investment between nuclear and conventional capabilities. However, it has not yet worked this through.' It added: 'The increase in nuclear costs may restrict the money available for other important needs.' The report suggests such other 'important needs' range from improving poor accommodation for troops and addressing the military's retention and recruitment crisis. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the committee, said: 'In the context of continuing geopolitical uncertainty, this continued delay in providing figures for public scrutiny is a truly unacceptable state of affairs. 'This committee has made a number of recommendations to government to offer it another chance to cooperate. 'There is also a material risk of the costs of the nuclear deterrent beginning to act as a ratchet mechanism. 'As well as a fully worked-up picture of equipment overall, we require specific cost details in the specific area of nuclear, to be assured on the risk of funding not being sucked away from other vital areas earmarked for growth in the SDR.' He added: 'If government does not come forward with the requisite details very soon, Parliament will be unable to critically assess the underpinnings of the SDR, and it will remain to be seen how the public can thereby ascertain whether what is planned, including the pledge of 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence spending, is deliverable. 'The MoD can, however, be rightfully proud of the role it has played in supporting Ukraine in resisting Russia's brutal invasion. 'The adaptability and responsiveness of government in constantly innovating both in the assistance provided and in its own processes has been truly commendable, and this committee thanks all involved for their continuing efforts.'
