UK welcomes first arrivals under one in, one out deal with France

A family of three, including a small child, have become the first people to arrive in the UK under the government’s new "one in, one out" agreement with France, arriving on a commercial flight after undergoing security vetting, officials said. The move follows the removal of four people from Britain to France under the same scheme and comes as ministers set out plans to use the agreement to deter dangerous Channel crossings and target people-smuggling networks.

A Home Office spokesperson described the arrivals as "critical first steps" under the UK-France treaty and said the arrangement sends "a clear message to people-smuggling gangs that illegal entry into the UK will not be tolerated." The spokesperson added that the government will continue to detain and remove those who cross by small boats and will operate a legal route for an equal number of eligible migrants to come to the UK, subject to rigorous documentation and security checks.

The treaty, which came into force in August and began returns in recent weeks, allows the UK to detain and remove migrants who enter via small boats and to block their access to the UK asylum system. In exchange, the UK will accept an equal...