SIR – A “one in, one out” deal with the French will have lawyers rubbing their hands at the prospect of further opportunities to thwart removals.
I confidently predict that it will prove to be yet another meaningless scheme that has little or no effect on the numbers arriving here. Can we expect that anybody deported from Britain who is subsequently found to have returned will again be removed?
Instead of ill-considered proposals, meaningful deterrent measures need to be taken. These should include changes to the law to prevent multiple appeals, followed by major increases in deportation (if necessary to hubs abroad). Action is required to stop illegal working, and hotel accommodation should end, with asylum criteria reviewed to correspond to the stricter positions taken elsewhere in Europe.
Peter Higgins
West Wickham, Kent
