Mahmood’s cutting of protections for UK-France ‘one in, one out’ asylum deal ruled unlawful

<p>Asylum seekers win ruling against home secretary’s reduction of safeguards for potential victims of trafficking</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jul/10/andy-burnham-labour-shabana-mahmood-reform-nigel-farage-uk-politics-live-news">UK politics live – latest updates</a></p></li></ul><p>The British home secretary’s decision to reduce protections for potential trafficking victims to allow the “one in, one out” asylum returns deal to proceed was unlawful, a high court judge has ruled.</p><p>The legal challenge was brought by five small boat asylum seekers earmarked for return to France – four from Eritrea and one from Sudan. It related to a change in guidance on the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2025/jul/10/uk-and-france-agree-pilot-one-in-one-out-migrant-returns-scheme-video">one in, one out scheme</a>, which meant that those denied trafficking protections no longer had the right to ask for it to be reconsidered.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/10/home-office-policy-protections-trafficking-victims-ruled-unlawful">Continue reading...</a>