Labour refuses to reveal full cost of ‘embarrassing 25,766-in, 606-out deal' as Shabana Mahmood secretly extends accord

The Freedom of Information request was made in advance of June 11, when the initial cross-Channel pilot scheme was scheduled to end.

The Home Office initially extended the period of GB News’s request, citing a possible exemption as the information relates to international relations.

Border Security Command responded just days later to inform GB News its request for details on accommodation costs, court costs and expenses incurred would “exceed the appropriate limit of £600” and suggested refining the request.

However, the Home Office made a similar suggestion when it rejected a request for information on total payments made to France since 2018.

An analysis by GB News shows 25,178 small boat migrants still crossed the Channel while the “one-in, one-out” deal was in place, taking the total arrivals since August last year to 25,766.

The People’s Channel has challenged the rejection, believing the Home Office’s suggestion would fail to provide a full picture of the cost of the “one-in, one-out” deal and total spend on removals.

Pressure is now mounting on the Home Office to come clean about the cost, which was initially supposed to be £100million, after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood quietly extended the deal until October 1.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told GB News: “Shabana Mahmood is trying to hide the cost of her scheme because it isn’t working.

“Since it started, more than 25,178 arrived by small boat and 24,570 were allowed to stay.

“With a 97.5 per cent chance of illegal Channel immigrants staying, this scheme has no chance of deterring anyone.

“The only way to fix this is the Conservative plan to leave the ECHR which will mean all illegal immigrants can be deported on arrival.

“That will be a real deterrent, and then the crossings will stop. But this Labour Government is too weak to do it.”

France’s Europe Minister Emmanuel Haddad confirmed the extension last week, while Home Office officials briefed journalists about it last month.

However, Ms Mahmood has not publicly confirmed an extension of the agreement, leaving one ex-Home Office Minister demanding honesty from the Labour Government.

Kevin Foster, who served as Migration Minister from 2019 to 2022, told GB News: "The thousands in, a few out deal with France was never going to be the comprehensive solution the Small Boat Crisis needs.

"Taxpayers deserve honest answers from Ministers about how much this farce has cost."

A former Home Office official added: “The Home Office won’t fess up to the cost of the deal because it’s embarrassingly expensive and there would be outrage.

"They know it would make a mockery of Keir Starmer’s plan to ‘smash the gangs’ so they are trying to brush the damage under the carpet.”

However, the Freedom of Information fiasco ties into a concern growing in Whitehall, a drastic clampdown on requests by reducing the £600 ceiling for processing a request.

Transparency campaigners have warned the move risks excluding often important requests.

Shadow Policy Renewal Minister Neil O'Brien told GB News last month: "Under Labour, the Home Office has become totally appalling at covering up and blocking information.

"Taxpayers should have a right to know where their money is going and whether they are getting value for money, particularly when there is a strong argument that we are paying and getting nothing in return."

The People's Channel had another Freedom of Information request rejected by the Home Office just last month.

After revealing that around 20 local authorities had expressed an interest in housing asylum seekers in revamped council houses, GB News approached the Home Office for a full list.

However, the department rejected the request on the grounds that it "would or would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any persons", sparking accusations of a "cover-up".

GB News has also approached the Home Office and French Government for comment.