UK vows to challenge court barriers to migrant deportations

The British government has announced plans to push back against what it described as “vexatious, last-minute claims” that are being used to halt or delay the removal of migrants. 

The pledge follows a recent court decision that temporarily blocked the deportation of an asylum seeker who had crossed into the country by boat.

Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood, in a firm statement on Wednesday, said: 

"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.”

The intervention came just a day after London’s High Court issued an interim injunction in the case of a 25-year-old man from Eritrea. 

The asylum seeker, who entered Britain on August 12, had been scheduled for removal to France under a new “one in, one out” pilot scheme that the UK and France jointly unveiled in July.

Justice Clive Sheldon, presiding over the matter, ruled that there was a “serious issue to be tried,” particularly with regard to whether the man’s claim of being a victim of trafficking should stop him from being transferred to France.

Mahmood, however, argued that such cases undermined the system: 

“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.”

The injunction has added further pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration, which is already under fire for failing to stop the influx of small boats carrying asylum seekers across the English Channel. 

Government figures show that more than 30,000 people have made the crossing so far in 2025.