20 hours ago
New blow for Starmer as welfare rebels fix sights on migrant deal
Sir Keir Starmer is facing a fresh wave of dissent from Labour backbenchers over his deal with France to stop small boat crossings.
Under the 'one in, one out' scheme, Britain would send migrants coming in from the Channel back to France within weeks of their arrival in return for the UK taking asylum seekers from France.
Details of the plan are expected to be set out during a state visit by Emmanuel Macron, the French president, to London this week.
But restless backbenchers who recently rebelled against Sir Keir's welfare plans have threatened to revolt again over his proposed migrant deal.
Clive Lewis MP told The Telegraph: 'Last week felt like it was the starting gun on more Labour MPs beginning to seriously question the Government. You can't help but think its judgment will now be called into question far more frequently.'
Mr Lewis continued: 'On immigration and asylum, why don't we have safe routes? There's no safe routes; if you want to stop the boats, establish safe routes.
'Labour should have a practical, humane policy. But any sense of a logical process that is based on human rights, basically what a Labour Government would traditionally be expected to do, is now out of the window.
'Tony Benn was right – if you want to know what your government would do to you if they could get away with it, look at how they treat asylum seekers. That's what you saw this week with disabled people and you're seeing it again with this.'
Another Labour MP added that the proposed deal 'could be illegal under international law'.
Relations between Downing Street and the parliamentary Labour party have broken down in recent weeks as the Government's approach on issues such as welfare has clashed with the Left-wing values of many Labour MPs.
No 10 and the Prime Minister himself have also been criticised for a perceived lack of engagement with MPs and an allegedly haughty attitude towards the back benches.
Labour 'moving Right'
One senior Labour MP and former minister said: 'I am very concerned by the proposal. It's a bit like the debate we had last week about welfare and disability payments. It just doesn't really seem like a Labour thing to do.
'My view is that we should have more safe routes. But there are a number of my colleagues, particularly those in Red Wall seats, that think being seen to be more conservative on immigration will help them win again next time.
'I know that Morgan McSweeney has been a strong voice for moving Right on immigration. Many of us disagree with this approach.'
Another senior MP added: 'A lot of people across the country are agitated about the small boats but there is no easy solution. But they're on the wrong track.
'What happened to smashing the gangs? Human traffickers are the scum of the earth and the idea was to get them but we don't seem to be doing too well on that front. I'm not convinced by this, it sounds like another gimmick that is doomed to fail.'
One MP suggested any revolt over the scheme could be as big as this week's rebellion over disability benefits.
Some 49 rebels voted against the Government's Bill on welfare reform despite a series of concessions from No 10. At one point the rebellion included as many as 120 MPs, enough to wipe out Sir Keir's landslide majority.
France has previously resisted moves for a returns agreement with Britain since the Dublin returns agreement was scrapped under Brexit, and has argued that any new agreement would have to be EU-wide.
However, France opened the door to taking back Channel migrants for the first time after Bruno Retailleau, the country's interior minister, said that it would 'send a clear message' to other migrants planning to make the perilous journey.
The summit between Mr Macron and Sir Keir is set to take place from 8-10 July in the wake of Labour's first anniversary of being in Government.
