A new deal which would help scale back the number of Channel migrants in Britain has been blocked by the EU, leaked documents reveal.
The revised Brexit pact which would allow migrants to be returned to France was reportedly refused by one of European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s most highly regarded aides.
Brussels will rule out signing the post-Brexit “returns agreement”, according to German politician Bjoern Siebert.
The blow means the UK will remain unable to return small boat migrants to France.
A leaked British memo – seen by the Daily Mail – states the outcome of a meeting between Siebert – von der Leyen’s head of cabinet – and the Cabinet Office’s National Security Adviser Sir Tim Barrow.
Discussing Siebert, the memo said: “He stressed that the Commission is not open to a UK-EU readmissions agreement.”
However, both sides did agree to co-operate on other immigration measures.
The EU has since disputed the version of events in the memo, with a Commission spokesman saying: “Mr Siebert never said what it is claimed.”
Current rules mean Britain is limited to sending migrants to their home nation or to a safe third country such as Rwanda – which leads to human right challenges.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has previously shared his urge to secure a tighter co-operation with Europe on the Channel crisis.
It comes as the Tory party gears up pressure for Britain to leave the European Human Rights Convention.
Conservative MPs claim the EHRC is the biggest problem on blocking Britain returning migrants.