Experts identify potentially serious breaches over treatment of people and call for ‘one in, one out’ scheme to end
The UN has called on the UK and France to halt the controversial “one in, one out” asylum system, warning there could be “serious violations of international human rights law”.
Nine experts, including seven special rapporteurs, wrote a 20-page letter to Downing Street and Paris on 8 December 2025 outlining detailed concerns about potential breaches of human rights they had identified in the scheme. They gave the two governments 60 days to respond and on Friday published their letter.
It contains detailed case studies documenting the treatment of people placed in detention in preparation for being forcibly removed to France under the scheme. They include asylum seekers from Sudan, Gaza, Eritrea, Yemen and Iran, many of whom are survivors of torture and trafficking.
The experts said the detention of torture survivors for the scheme “may in itself amount to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”.
