UK Paying £56,000 for Each Person Returned to France Under ‘One In, One Out’ Scheme
Home secretary defends cost, saying it is about the same or cheaper than putting someone up in a hotel for a year
TL;DR
- The UK's "one in, one out" deal with France costs about £56,000 for every person returned.
- The home secretary defended the cost, stating it's comparable to or cheaper than housing someone in a hotel for a year.
- Approximately 1,400 people have been removed to France since the scheme began in August 2025.
- The scheme has faced operational challenges and struggles to scale up removals.
- France has expressed a desire to end the bilateral agreement and integrate it into a wider EU-UK returns deal.
- A separate pilot offering £40,000 for rejected asylum-seeking families to voluntarily leave Britain has seen low uptake.