UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp branded Labour’s migrant deal a “gimmick,” arguing that only 6% of illegal Channel crossers would be returned.
As reported by GB News, Chris Philp has criticised Labour’s migrant plan, calling it ineffective and claiming Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was handed the Rwanda scheme “on a plate.”
What did Chris Philp say about the France migrant deal?
During an interview on GB News, Chris Philp said the migrant exchange deal with France would result in only six percent of illegal immigrants crossing the Channel being returned.
He said,
“This so-called deal, it’s really a bit of a gimmick in my view. Only six percent of illegal immigrants crossing the Channel will get sent back to France, the other 94 percent will get to stay in the UK. Obviously, having 94 percent of illegal immigrants staying in the UK will not act as any deterrent at all.”
He compared the agreement to Keir Starmer’s past promise to “smash the gangs,” highlighting that the slogan is now rarely used by the Prime Minister.
Mr Philip said,
“It’s another gimmick, just like Keir Starmer’s smash the gangs gimmick a year or so ago, which you’ll notice he never mentions anymore, because so far this year, we’ve seen record numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel, the highest number in history so far this year,”
adding,
“I’m afraid this so called deal, this gimmick last week, is going to make no difference to that whatsoever.”
The interviewer pushed back, challenging Mr. Philp on the Conservative Party’s own “gimmicks” and questioning whether their migration record was any better, saying,
“The Tories were constantly banging on about stopping the boats and smashing the gangs, and it must have been a gimmick when you were doing it because you didn’t do either, did you?”
The shadow secretary responded,
“In 2023, we actually got the small boat numbers down by about 30 per cent, so that was quite a big step in the right direction. And we then had the second step in the plan was to basically remove 100 per cent of arrivals the minute their feet touched the shore using the Rwanda scheme.”
Mr Philip added,
“It was ready to go last summer, just after the election, it was handed to Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper on a plate, and what did they do? They cancelled it just a few days before it was due to start. And as a consequence, instead of continuing the downward trend in immigration across the channel, illegal immigration has surged by over 40 per cent since the election, and it’s now been the worst year in history, thanks to their ineptitude.”
When asked about President Macron’s claim that the public was “sold a lie,” Chris Philp replied,
“I don’t think politicians in any country should denigrate the results of democratic elections, whether those are referenda or national elections.”
He said,
“I think any politician of any colour and in any country should respect elections when they happen, and respect the views of the public. To say, ‘oh, they made a mistake’, or all that kind of styling is actually damaging to democracy,”
adding,
“So I think those words were not particularly well chosen, that on the levels of legal migration in recent years, I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, they have been far, far too high under successive governments for very many years.”
Referring to a possible Labour cabinet reshuffle, Mr Philp stated,
“Keir Starmer himself should be the first to go, because he has presided over massive tax increases. Rachel Reeves has done the same.”
He added,
“They lied about it before the last election, they said there weren’t going to be any tax rises, then they put up massive tax rises in the budget last October, which has caused unemployment to go up. It is now 12 per cent higher, and it’s caused the economy to shrink for the last two months in a row.”
UK-France migrant deal
- Around 50 migrants per week who cross the Channel illegally will be returned to France.
- In exchange, the UK will accept 50 asylum seekers from France through a safe and legal route, provided they haven’t attempted an illegal crossing.
- The scheme follows a “one in, one out” model aimed at reducing small boat crossings.
What did Yvette Cooper say about the migrant return numbers?
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said, “We haven’t fixed the ultimate numbers yet. We have been talking to the EU commissioners. We’ve also been talking to other European interior ministers and governments throughout this process.”
She added,
“The French interior minister and I have been speaking about this, to develop this, since October of last year, and the EU commissioners have been very supportive. So that is why we have designed this in a way to work, not just for the UK and France, but in order to fit with all their concerns as well.”
Key statistics about illegal migrants in the UK 2025
- Irregular arrivals (2025): 44,125 people entered illegally – up 14% from last year.
- Small boat crossings: 38,023 arrived by boat – a 22% increase.
- Boat size: Each boat carried an average of 54 people.
- Asylum claims: 94% of boat arrivals since 2018 claimed asylum.