PREVIEW

Yvette Cooper Refuses to Set Target for Migrant Returns to France. Home Secretary Cooper says she will not set a target for the number of migrants to be returned to France under a new trial scheme starting today. The plan, agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron will see some migrants arriving in the UK on small boats detained and sent back to France if their asylum claims are ruled inadmissible. In return, the UK will accept vetted asylum seekers who have not tried to cross the Channel. Cooper told BBC Breakfast that returns would “start lower and then build” but giving exact figures could aid criminal gangs smuggling people across the Channel. Reports suggest around 50 people per week could be returned, compared with over 800 currently making the journey weekly. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the deal “months of grown-up diplomacy” and promised “real results”. But Conservatives dismissed the plan, saying it would “make no difference” So far this year, more than 25,000 migrants have crossed the Channel—almost 50% higher than the same period in 2024.
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