Home Secretary accused of putting 'vulnerable lives at risk' over migrant comment

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been accused of putting “vulnerable lives at risk” by the anti-slavery watchdog.

The Cabinet minister has said the use of modern slavery legislation to block deportations of migrants made a "mockery of our laws". She criticised the law after a High Court earlier this week blocked the removal of an asylum seeker under the “one in, one out” deal with France.

But independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Eleanor Lyons said Ms Mahmood's words "have a real-life impact on victims of exploitation, who may now be more scared to come forward and talk about what's happened to them".

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The Home Office are the deciders in this country on whether someone is a victim of modern slavery. They have the final decision-making.

"Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords select committees have looked at this issue in recent years, and they found there's no misuse of the system. It puts vulnerable lives at risk when the Home Secretary is claiming that is the case."

READ MORE: Home Secretary voices fury as migrant's deportation to France blocked by court

The Government suffered a major blow on Tuesday after a High Court ruling that an Eritrean man will not be deported to France. The man - who cannot be named for legal reasons - was set to be removed under the Government's "one in, one out" scheme.

He was due to be on a flight to France at 9am on Wednesday, but was granted a temporary reprieve. The court has given the man 14 days to prove his claim that he was a victim of modern slavery.

The Home Office will lodge an appeal on Thursday against the decision and Ms Mahmood is carrying out an urgent review of the Modern Slavery Act to assess whether it is open to abuse.

The Home Secretary said: "Migrants suddenly deciding that they are a modern slave on the eve of their removal, having never made such a claim before, make a mockery of our laws and this country's generosity.

"I will fight to end vexatious, last-minute claims. I will robustly defend the British public's priorities in any court. And I will do whatever it takes to secure our border."

Senior Treasury minister James Murray rejected suggestions that Labour had forgotten its values as he faced questions about the Government response. "No, not at all. What's driving this is what's important to the British people," he told Sky News.

"As a Government, we're responding to what's important to people in the UK, and people have said, and people are right to feel angry about the level of illegal migration.

"People are right to feel they want hotels to close. People are right to feel they want the Government to do more on this, and that's exactly why we're doing more on this."

A new pilot scheme was agreed with the French government in July in a bid to tackle small boat crossings. The deal was a major breakthrough as marks the first return agreement between the two countries since Brexit. Last month the first wave of detentions were made, and they have been held at an immigration removal centre pending their removal from the country.

Under the arrangement, the UK will send back to France asylum seekers who have crossed the Channel, in exchange for those who apply and are approved to come to Britain.

On Tuesday, lawyers on behalf of the Eritrean man told the court he faces a "real risk of destitution" if he is put on a flight to France. Mr Justice Sheldon concluded: "It seems to me there is a serious issue to be tried with respect to the trafficking claim and whether or not the Secretary of State has carried out her investigatory duties in a lawful manner."

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