Overview

• Three further removals to France on Thursday — identified as Afghan, Somali and Sudanese nationals — took the total deported under the scheme to seven, according to government statements reported by The Times.
• The first reciprocal arrivals, a vetted family of three, flew in from France on Wednesday and were issued three‑month visas without the right to work or access public funds before making an asylum claim.
• The Court of Appeal refused the Home Office permission to challenge a High Court order giving an Eritrean man 14 days to pursue a trafficking claim, delaying his removal to France.
• Ministers say the early transfers “prove the concept” and pledge to ramp up operations under the time‑limited pilot, which was initially understood to target about 50 returns per week.
• More than 32,000 people have crossed the Channel so far this year, and critics question the scheme’s deterrent effect, with some also challenging the Home Office’s decision to withhold basic details about the first family admitted.