WATCH: Ex-Border Force boss fears for Labour's planned 'one-in, one-out' migrant deal with France

GB News

A former Director General of UK Border Force has cast huge doubt over plans for a new deal with France, fearing Sir Keir Starmer may "sell out on a deal we don't need to".Speaking to GB News, Tony Smith told hosts Tom Harwood and Emily Carver that he is "really nervous" about the proposed deal going ahead.FULL STORY HERE.

Transcript

00:00The government believes it has a solution to the small boats crisis.

00:04Yes, there are proposed plans for a one-in, one-out return agreement with France,

00:09where migrants crossing the Channel could be prevented from claiming asylum in the UK,

00:13being sent back to France.

00:16Well, the deal would see France taking back migrants who've crossed illegally,

00:19while the UK agrees to accept a comparable number of asylum seekers from France.

00:23So a bit of a migrant swap.

00:25Well, joining us now is the former Director General of Border Force, Tony Smith.

00:30Tony, I mean, it's a slightly innovative plan.

00:33Do you think it would work?

00:35I'm really nervous about it, Tom.

00:36If I'm honest, I shouldn't be, I suppose, because I spent a lot of time in the Home Office myself

00:41trying to get the French to take asylum seekers back.

00:43And ever since then, I've been saying that the best deal would be if we could get a safe third with France.

00:47But my worry about this is in the detail, Tom.

00:50What is the deal that we're doing with France?

00:53Who are these people that we're going to be taking in in return?

00:56Are these people that aren't currently allowed into the UK?

01:00So are we opening the door to people that we don't have to?

01:03And in terms of the returns agreement, are we turning them back, you know,

01:07taking them back on the ship straight away in the Channel?

01:09Or are they coming ashore?

01:11If they are, are we going to detain them?

01:12How long, how many of them will go back?

01:14I've got so many questions swirling around in my head, Tom, about this,

01:18that my optimism, I'm afraid, has been severely dented.

01:21I suppose we need to see the detail, don't we, when the actual announcement comes out.

01:25But at the moment, I'm not encouraged.

01:26Tony, as the former Director General of Border Force,

01:31should you not be the type of person who's being consulted on all of this?

01:35I mean, if you've got all these questions, I'm sure you could be there, you know, trying to nail it down.

01:40Well, we, yeah, I run my own border security company these days.

01:44So, you know, we have been offering help to the Home Office if they want advice on options,

01:50because, you know, many of the people on my book's been around the block,

01:53including me, on a lot of this stuff before and a lot of the narratives that's coming out.

01:57And I'm afraid some of the negotiations that are underway, I'm not entirely sure are going to stick.

02:01So, yes, I am very happy to help out if asked,

02:05but one would need to be invited into the tent if you like to help them.

02:09I mean, I think it is right that we're speaking to the French.

02:12I would say that we've always been speaking to the French about these things.

02:15And in my time, we had a very good operational relationship with the French.

02:18But this is high politics, you see.

02:20The French have got enough asylum seekers of their own, more than enough.

02:24And so Macron has to sell this to his people.

02:26He would say, well, why would we start taking people back from the UK

02:29when we've got enough problems of our own?

02:32And the only thing he can sell, from their point of view,

02:34would be we're going to be exporting more people to the UK.

02:37And I'm really, really worried about our negotiating position

02:40and how good is our negotiating team?

02:43And are we getting all of the facts presenting to us?

02:46I suspect negotiation is still underway now.

02:48But my worry is, because there's so much desperation around this, isn't there,

02:52now in government about trying to get a grip of this,

02:55that we may sell out on a deal that we don't need to.

03:00That's my worry.

03:01And so I'm really quite nervous about what we're going to hear.

03:04But let's wait and see.

03:06Yeah.

Category

Transcript

Recommended