UK Charities Migrant Scandal: MP Chris Philp Slams Government's Return Programme - Is Labour Keeping Them In?

Britain's migrant crisis has reached a boiling point. With over 31,000 Channel crossings recorded by September, 2025 is now the worst year on record, fuelling public outrage over illegal immigration.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has unleashed a scathing attack on Labour's returns programme, branding it a 'complete farce' as charities like Bail for Immigration Detainees (BiD) distribute taxpayer-funded guides designed to help migrants avoid deportation.

The revelation raises urgent questions: is Labour's policy inadvertently keeping illegal migrants in the UK, undermining border security and wasting public funds?

Chris Philp Exposes Charity-Funded Deportation Loopholes

Chris Philp, MP for Croydon South, highlighted how BiD's 12-page guide offers legal tactics and template letters for asylum seekers facing removal to France. He called it 'ridiculous' that the Home Office indirectly funds such efforts through charitable tax relief.

Published in August 2025, the document targets migrants detained under the UK-France 'one in, one out' pilot scheme, which aims to return 50 people weekly but has stalled amid legal challenges. Philp stated, 'What we need to do is make sure that every single person who crosses the English Channel illegally gets removed immediately, without any messing around in the courts.'

BiD, which received over £400,000 from Comic Relief, benefits from public subsidies while advising on human rights claims to block deportations. This revelation, shared in Philp's X post on 18 September 2025, sparked widespread condemnation: 'Ridiculous that the Home Office is funding a charity that writes a how-to guide for making up human rights and modern slavery claims for illegal immigrants to avoid deportation. This whole system needs to be scrapped and re-built.'

Critics argue this undermines the returns programme, leaving 94 per cent of arrivals in the UK despite Labour's pledges to smash smuggling gangs.

Labour's Returns Programme Falters

Launched in July 2025, the UK-France agreement promised swift returns in exchange for legal routes. Yet only one migrant—an Indian national—was deported on 18 September 2025, after flights failed on three prior days due to court interventions.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended it as 'an important first step,' but Philp dismissed the scheme as a 'ludicrous gimmick' covering merely six per cent of crossings. By 16 September, protests by charities flooded Air France with complaints, halting further removals and exposing the programme's fragility.

Official data shows 50,000 crossings since Labour's July 2024 election win, up 50 per cent from 2024, with asylum hotels costing £8 million daily. Philp accused Labour of cancelling the Conservative Rwanda plan—poised for takeoff in July 2024—without a viable alternative, leading to this surge.

Taxpayer Burden Soars, Charities Challenge Border Controls

The scandal intensifies with charities like Médecins Sans Frontières labelling the deal 'shameful,' citing fears of racial profiling in migrant selections. Meanwhile, BiD's efforts continue to drain public resources. Overall returns hit 16,400 since July 2024, but Conservatives claim only five per cent relate to small boats, failing as a deterrent.

Labour's £2 billion aid pledge for return deals echoes Reform UK's proposals, yet Philp warns it rewards non-cooperation. His critique resonates amid economic strain, with councils like Birmingham subsidising migrant perks despite bin collection failures. 'It is a slap in the face to hard-pressed taxpayers,' he said, as 2025 crossings threaten to exceed 40,000.

Charities' interventions not only delay removals but amplify costs, with asylum processing backlogs projected at £5 billion by year-end. As Philp demands a rebuilt system, the question lingers: will Labour prioritise border enforcement over charity-enabled loopholes?