In response to the UK–France deal on returning migrants coming into force, Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, said:

“When it comes to asylum policy, this Government is proving to be just as unprincipled and impractical as its predecessor.

"A returns deal with France that makes access to safety in the UK - even for those with close family or connections here - dependent on someone else risking their life to cross the Channel only cements the role of smugglers in how people fleeing war and persecution must seek asylum in the UK.

“Once again, refugees are treated like parcels, not people, while the public is left to pay the price for, yet another cruel, costly failure dressed up as policy.

“The UK shares the same duty as other countries to provide asylum. But instead of facing that responsibility, this Government continues to swap one unworkable gimmick for another – aligning itself with the smugglers and the chaos they exploit.

“If the aim is to truly reduce dangerous journeys and the profits of organised criminal gangs, the answer is clear: we need safe accessible routes between countries not miserable deals that trade in human lives.”