London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 31, 2025

Priti Patel’s refugee pushback policy withdrawn days before legal review

Priti Patel’s refugee pushback policy withdrawn days before legal review

Government lawyers confirm Home Office plan to force small boats back to France has been abandoned
Priti Patel’s refugee pushback policy has been officially withdrawn by the government days before a judicial review of the tactic was due to be heard in the high court.

The government’s legal department acknowledged in a letter on Sunday that the plan to try to force people in dinghies back to France has been abandoned after Boris Johnson’s announcement that the Royal Navy would take over operations in the Channel.

Patel’s officials last week received notification that the Ministry of Defence, which is now in charge of picking up refugees in the Channel, did not have permission to use the tactic, the letter said.

The policy, which was finalised in the autumn by the Home Office, authorised and encouraged Border Force officials to stop migrant vessels in UK waters and forcibly redirect them to return to France.

In January, Patel said pushing back boats was “absolutely still policy” when she gave evidence to the House of Lords justice and home affairs committee.

In its letter, the legal department said the policy and procedures had been withdrawn and that the MoD joint commander had not had permission to authorise the use of turnaround tactics.

The letter, which was signed on behalf of the solicitor general, said a “significant development” had meant the case would no longer proceed.

“That development flowed from the prime minister’s announcement on Thursday 14 April 2022 that the Ministry of Defence was taking over primacy in respect of Channel operations with regard to small boat crossings. As a result of a military order notified to the secretary of state for the home department’s officials earlier on 20 April 2022, the Ministry of Defence joint commander has not had permission to authorise the use of turnaround tactics,” the letter said.

It said that if a decision were taken to use turnaround tactics in the future, it would only be after a full consideration of all relevant matters.

“The secretary of state for the home department [Patel] has determined that: the policy and procedures, which are the subject of the ongoing litigation, are withdrawn; if a decision were taken to use turnaround tactics in the future, it would only be after a full consideration of all relevant matters, including the evolving nature of the small boats threat, migrant behaviour and organised criminal activity; and new policies, guidance and operational procedures would need to be formulated at that point.”

Four organisations – the PCS union, Care4Calais, Channel Rescue and Freedom from Torture – had challenged the Home Office policy, with the applications set down for a three-day hearing on 3 May.

The climbdown comes as the nationality and borders bill reaches its final stages in parliament. The Lords has twice rejected parts of the bill that would severely penalise refugees arriving in the UK without visas, in line with their rights under the refugee convention.

Patel had repeatedly said there was a legal basis for the pushback policy despite introducing express powers to turn back boats in the nationality and borders bill on the basis that there was no such current legal power.

The PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said: “This humiliating climbdown by the government is a stunning victory for Home Office workers and for refugees. There is little doubt that lives have been saved.

“The pushbacks manoeuvre is extremely dangerous and represents a clear risk to life and limb. We were simply not prepared to allow our members to be placed in this horrendous position.”

Clare Moseley, the founder of Care4Calais, said: “I find it hard to believe that anyone within government thought that performing pushbacks in the Channel was a viable policy.”

Sonya Sceats, the chief executive of Freedom from Torture, said: “This momentous climbdown by the government shows that change is possible when we come together.

“But we should never have had to take this government to court in order to defend the sanctity of life – it is scandalous that it reached this point.”

Steven Martin of Channel Rescue said: “Pushbacks are a reckless endangerment to life and we have always maintained and reminded the government that they are unlawful. The violent forcing back of people seeking protection is abhorrent and deprives them of their right to asylum.”

The Guardian disclosed on Friday that unpublished parts of the proposed pushback policy said the tactic would not be used against asylum seekers.

A government spokesperson said similar tactics might be deployed in the future, however these would only be used after full consideration of all relevant factors.

“It is right that we consider all safe and legal options to stop these unnecessary journeys, including turning boats around.

“As we have set out previously, this tactic fully complies with both domestic and international law, however, there are extremely limited circumstances when you can safely turn boats back in the Channel.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
×