The UK-France 'one in, one out' migrant return pilot scheme, an initiative forged in July by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, has faced significant legal hurdles from its very outset, leading to the blockage of its inaugural removal flights. This controversial agreement stipulates that the UK will return migrants who arrived via small boats to France, while in exchange, France will send a refugee candidate to the UK for protection.

A 25-year-old Eritrean man became the first successful challenger to the scheme, securing a temporary injunction from the High Court to prevent his removal to France. His legal team argued he required more time to gather evidence for a potential modern slavery claim, despite initial interviews where he denied exploitation. The Home Office countered, asserting France's safety as a country for asylum claims and expressing concerns that delaying his departure could open the floodgates for similar last-minute legal challenges from other migrants. Mr Justice Sheldon's injunction marked the first legal blow against the UK-France deal, immediately raising questions about its enforceability and the potential for widespread disruption.

Following this initial setback, subsequent attempts to deport other migrants on scheduled Air France flights were also abandoned due to a spate of last-minute legal challenges. Charities such as Auberge des Migrants and the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) have actively campaigned against the policy, with many challenges citing modern slavery claims and invoking the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Tory frontbencher Chris Philp has lambasted the Labour government, branding the scheme a