Sir John Redwood has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's migrant negotiations with France, claiming he is being "gamed" by French President Emmanuel Macron.
On his final day of a three-day trip to Britain, Macron declared that the UK was "stronger with the European Union", and that dealing with the Channel migrant crisis is a "shared responsibility".
The UK is expected to announce a "one in, one out" migrant deal system with the French following Starmer's meeting with Macron.
Speaking to GB News, Redwood expressed deep concern about the Prime Minister's track record in international negotiations, suggesting a pattern of British interests being compromised.
John Redwood declared the UK's migrant deal with France a 'disaster in the making'
PA / GB News
The former Shadow Business Secretary said: "Of course we're being gamed by the French, they are so much cleverer at it than Sir Keir Starmer.
"I always dread it every time Keir Starmer is in discussion with an international leader because he always loses, he doesn't put a strong British case to start with and he gives in to more or less anything they want."
Redwood added: "He's given billions of pounds of our fish away for no advantage to the French, he's giving away the rights to make our own laws over crucial trade and industrial matters, and now we see him giving way on this issue about people coming into the country."
He specifically challenged the Prime Minister's failure to deliver on his pledge to tackle people smuggling operations.
"So he's actually saying he would like to welcome more legal refugees in through French selection, in addition to the many tens of thousands we're already accepting," Redwood said.
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Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron chaired the UK-France Summit today
REUTERSHe urged the Prime Minister to "concentrate on the domestic issues that matter to people".
Redwood told GB News: "Above all, when you said you're going to smash the gangs, why can't you?
"Why don't you start arresting people when they arrive? Why don't you start interrogating them, taking away their mobile phones?
"Finding out where all the dodgy money is going, cracking the money laundering and the drug dealing that lies behind a lot of this."
Redwood also raised doubts about whether the French President could deliver on any agreement, noting the power of the European Union.
He explained: "We don't even know that the French President has the power to enforce this, because, of course, he doesn't run a sovereign country and the EU may have strong views.
"We know that the southern states are already lobbying not even to have this very small scheme, but it's got to be so much bigger than the current plan."
Redwood told GB News that Rwanda was an 'effective deterrent'
GB News
Redwood argued that the proposed scheme would be insufficient to address current migration levels, stating: "It can't possibly deter the big numbers we need to deter."
The former Shadow Business Secretary defended the previous Government's Rwanda policy, suggesting it had begun to show results before being abandoned.
He concluded: "If Rwanda had been allowed to flourish without the courts and Labour's opposition at the time, that would have been a very genuine deterrent.
"And I think that was beginning to work, which is why we had smaller numbers in recent months before the end of the Conservative Government than the massive numbers, the big surge we're seeing today."