Labour positioned itself as a party of technocrats, but the small boats deal shows they have no clue what they’re doing, writes Eliot Wilson

Last week, the Agreement on the Prevention of Dangerous Journeys, concluded between the UK and France in July, came into force. It is the government’s latest attempt to tackle the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, which has become talismanic in the debate over immigration.

The agreement states that those arriving in small boats who “do not or no longer, fulfil the conditions for entry to, presence in or residence in the territory of the United Kingdom” will be returned to France as quickly as possible. In return, the UK will admit “regularly balanced” numbers of asylum seekers deemed to have stronger claims. Our government will pay for both groups, those being returned to France and those being admitted.

On its own, this one-in, one-out agreement will have no effect on overall net migration, yet Britain is picking up the tab for the whole process. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, refused to say how many people she expected to be involved, but privately........

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