Government defends removal record but figures show most departures voluntary
Home Secretary defends removal record as figures show only a quarter of those leaving were forcibly removed, with few small boat migrants returned.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The government has defended its record on removing illegal migrants after new figures showed that only a quarter of people who left the UK in the last two years were forcibly removed. Most departures were voluntary, either independently or with Home Office support, and only a small proportion of those removed were migrants who had arrived on small boats across the Channel.
On a visit to Colnbrook, the UK's largest immigration removal centre, the Home Secretary said work was continuing to bear down on people smugglers and their tactics. Responding to concerns about small boat crossings, she said she shared the public's horror at the images and insisted the government was going after the "vile trade relentlessly". She acknowledged that public confidence could change and said she was not complacent.
New government figures show more than 80,000 people left the UK in the last two years. Around a quarter were forced removals of people with no legal right to remain. More than 11,000 were foreign national offenders and just over 6,000 people who arrived on small boats were also returned. But in most cases, the returns were voluntary. The Home Office said it also offers payments to incentivise people to leave of their own accord.
The cost difference is significant: an enforced return can cost around £49,000, while voluntary returns are much cheaper. The government says centres like Colnbrook will continue to play a key part in removing people with no right to be in the UK. The centre holds a mix of foreign criminals and immigration offenders, and the government says it wants to scale up such sites elsewhere.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the asylum system was broken. The Conservatives have said they would deport all illegal immigrants and foreign criminals by taking the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The number of people who have crossed the English Channel on small boats from France so far this year is down by 43% compared with the same period last year. But recent images of a record number of migrants on a single vessel, 230 people, have highlighted the continuing pressure on the asylum system.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | GB News |
|---|---|---|
| Only a quarter of people who left the UK in the last two years were forcibly removed. | ||
| Among the top small boat nationalities, only 18 migrants were returned in the year to March, with just one Afghan returned despite 4,500 arriving. | · | |
| In the year to March, only 18 migrants from the main small boat nationalities were returned. | · | |
| Only 6,000 small boat migrants were removed under Labour, representing about 7.7% of all illegal boat migrants. | · | |
| Out of 4,500 Afghan small boat arrivals, only one was returned. | · | |
| Small boat crossings from France are down 43% compared to the same period last year. | · | |
| The Home Office is translating its asylum guide on rape into other languages but refuses to specify which languages. | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC News reported the story in a balanced, factual manner, giving prominent space to the Home Secretary's defence of the government's record while also noting the limits of the figures, such as the low proportion of forced removals and the small number of small boat migrants returned. It included context on the cost of enforced returns and the opposition's response.
- “When people see those pictures of people crossing a dangerous shipping route such as the English Channel, just 100 miles away from here, they still have legitimate concerns.”
- “I share the same horror as members of the public when we see those visuals of people crossing the Channel on any kind of dinghy.”
- “We are going after this vile trade relentlessly.”
GB News took a highly critical, opinionated approach, accusing the government of 'gaslighting' the public with the removal figures. It focused on the low number of small boat migrants deported, highlighting specific nationalities where returns were negligible, and linked the story to a controversial Home Office guide on sexual consent being translated into foreign languages, which it framed as a sign of the scale of the problem.
- “But here is the real story. The government claims to have removed 80,000 foreign criminals and illegal migrants from the UK in the past two years, the highest number for a decade. But more than three-quarters of those cited were voluntary.”
- “Only 6,000 of those were small boat migrants and that means in the entire time the Labour Party has been in power a mere 7.7% of illegal boat migrants have even been deported or removed.”
- “But most shockingly of all, in the year to march amongst the top small boats, migrant nationalities, a mere 18 migrants have been returned. 18.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.