Member Info for Eureka1963

Asimpleinvestor:

Please read my question again; Was this [Facilitated Return Scheme] incorporated in Labour' White Paper on Immigration? Can't recall seeing any mention of the Facilitated Return Scheme which hands criminals up to £2,000 to encourage them to volunteer to be returned.

I will make it easier for you; the answer isn't Yes.

Foreign National Offenders (FNO) is lightly touched on but there is no mention of what looks to voters like a reward for criminality.

What the voter, most certainly in my case, eyes is the following message to the world's criminals:

Hey, foreign rapists, foreign drug dealers, foreign burglars, come to the UK to do your crimes, and this is the best bit, if you do get caught (chortle) the numpty government will now reduce your sentence after you have served as little as 30% of the (pathetic) custodial part of your sentence...

Potential FNO response...I would like to book one-way flights for me and my 'friends' to the UK...

FNO - Licence to commit crime until caught... then further rewarded when caught.

You say, "and lower overall costs", well, how about stopping the boat crossings where criminals are just rubbing their grubby hands just waiting to 'make their living'?

You say, "If we want fewer deportation delays, fewer taxpayer-funded appeals, and fewer overcrowded prisons, then operational efficiency—not outrage—is the metric that matters."

Again, how about stopping a known cause of all those issues, boat crossings and those potential FNO from coming in the first place...why would any genuine 'asylum seeker' throw away documentation they relied on to get to France, only to throw that documentation into the English Channel?

Two Tier Justice

A Statutory Instrument (the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Removal of prisoners for deportation) Order 2025) was laid on 25 June 2025 to give effect to the Independent Sentencing Review recommendation to reduce the custodial term requirement to 30% and also to increase the maximum window to 48 months. This is due to commence on 23 September 2025.

Primary legislation was needed to go further, removing the custodial term requirement so FNOs are eligible for removal from prison at any time after sentencing.

That last paragraph is telling.

My last post on this Subject:

Was this incorporated in Labour' White Paper on Immigration? Can't recall seeing any mention of the Facilitated Return Scheme which hands criminals up to £2,000 to encourage them to volunteer to be returned.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15128525/Moment-foreign-criminals-finally-flown-UK-bank-cards-pre-loaded-2-000-taxpayers-cash-flight-costs-hundreds-thousands.html

Rare footage has revealed what happens onboard a deportation flight for foreign criminals - with some seen being handed bank cards pre-loaded with £2,000.

Footage shows the group of serious offenders, including killers, thieves and sexual abusers, being returned to Romania having served part of their prison sentences.

As many as six staff are seen accompanying every passenger up the stairs to the plane to avoid them attempting to flee - while others have to be put in restraints to stop them lashing out.

The footage - filmed by ITV News - is the first time journalists have been allowed onboard a deportation flight for foreign national offenders (FNOs).

A total of 47 people were deported, most of them men with half a dozen women, in an operation requiring almost a hundred staff that would have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The FNOs onboard originally came to the UK legally, before forfeiting their right to remain by committing a serious crime.

Those handed cards pre-loaded with cash as part of the Facilitated Return Scheme, which hands criminals up to £2,000 to encourage them to volunteer to be returned.

They were told to withdraw the cash after landing and use it to aid their resettlement in Romania.

The deportation flights take place in the dead of night to avoid being disrupted by protests, with every FNO accompanied by three staff, while the most violent require half a dozen and are driven to the airport in their own individual van.

Commenting on the footage, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood admitted the sight of criminals being handed £2,000 in taxpayer cash 'doesn't look good'.

She got that right...

But wait, Labour has a white paper on immigration so no need to worry. Boat crossings will very soon be a thing of the past!

After watching The Covid Contracts: Follow the Money, how anyone can even consider voting Conservative is unfathomable. What a disgrace £bn's wasted, the sums involved are eye-watering. Mind you, some impressive multi-£million mansions on display, of course, paid for by the battered taxpayer.

This country has been run by idiots for far too long.

Yes, Starmer criticised the previous government, but his assessment was clear to me: "The damage this has done to our country is incalculable." You view this statement differently and that's fine.

My initial point was that this assessment would be normally attributed to Reform UK. I have previously stated to you my thoughts on Labour's immigration policies.

Stopping the supply of outboard motors and dinghies and migration projections of 340,000 up to year ending mid-2028, is not 'smashing the gangs' or fixing the problem.

Lloyds Bank, together with the other banks, looks to be in the cross hairs for the Autumn Budget (tax-grab) for either an increase in the bank surcharge, taxing interest on funds held by commercial banks at the bank of England (Yield c.£3.3bn/year) or a QE Reserves Income Levy [IPPR - Fixing The Leak] (Yield @ >2% Tax between £35 billion and £40bn of taxpayer losses over the course of this parliament.

Labour will not exempt the banks from one of those options, just apprehension over which one and it will be reflected in the share price?

"That wasn’t a Reform UK talking point—it was Starmer’s own critique of the previous government’s failure to manage migration."

That was exactly my point. Starmer stated, "The damage this has done to our country is incalculable." That is not a critique of the last government, but his own words.

When Starmer starts to deliver on his pledge to "smash the criminal boat gangs" and "end asylum hotels" then, and only then, will I take any notice of any Labour documentation on immigration. It is all very well highlighting the problems those cause, but that is all Labour has done.

Replacing hotels with HMO's is NOT the answer that I can accept, this merely waters down the immigration accommodation issue.

Perhaps you can help with providing the data on how many criminal boat gangs have been 'smashed'?

Has the number of migrants using hotels increased over the twelve-month period to end of June?

What difference will Labour's white paper on immigration have on the number of criminal boat gangs, who have been allowed to build an entire smuggling industry?

So, until the time Starmer delivers on his election pledges, any immigration documentation is not worth the paper it is written on. We all know what the problem, we don't need that outlined again and again; we just want solutions that, when implemented, will provide results.

"In 2023 inward migration exploded to over a million people a year - four times the level compared with 2019. This was a political choice that was never put before the British people. In fact, quite the opposite - the previous government repeatedly promised inward migration would be brought under control. Instead, Britain became a one-nation experiment in open borders.

The damage this has done to our country is incalculable."

A Nigel Farage statement? Nope

Maybe Zia Yusuf? Nope

Richard Tice? Nope

Kier Starmer: Restoring Control over the Immigration System (May 2025)

"...bringing that up is laughable when you read other people's posts. Almost every racial, xenophobic, or bigoted comment they make is just a repeat of the last one. There isn't a single original thought among them."

"Abusive behaviour is often a tool used by those who lack either the mental resilience or intellectual depth to engage with the substance of a discussion. It’s a deflection tactic—used not to challenge ideas, but to mask the absence of understanding."

Abuse and deflection you say. The irony of it.

To be clear, there is no question that there are huge barriers with Reform UK immigration policy, but doing nothing is not an option. I have, in previous posts, indicated the scale of cost of just 1,000 migrants that crossed on a boat.

ECHR, human rights and asylum law are embedded in nearly all domestic legislation and other laws. It will take time. Parliament is sovereign and according to one senior constitutional lawyer, "If you are willing to pay any political price and you can get the Commons and Lords to pass any relevant legislation, you will be able to do it,”

Reform will need a healthy majority, and this immigration policy will need to be a manifesto commitment.

I notice Ed Davey has refused to rule out Lib Dem-Labour coalition if it meant preventing a Reform UK government, democracy at its finest.

Let the British people have their say at the ballot box.

Finally, you have repeated numerous statements across your posts, may I suggest you proof-read what you copy and paste?

I align with the Reform UK immigration policy and there has been no mention of asylum seekers. That said, successive governments have failed to set up workable asylum routes and as a result, the UK Asylum System is broken and is open to 'abuse'. Voters see this 'abuse', and it WILL be viewed as 'abuse' of the asylum system.

A total of 111,084 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending June 2025, 14% more than in the year ending June 2024. This is broken down as:

43,600 of asylum seekers arrived on a small boat;

12,100 of asylum seekers entered through other irregular routes (lorries, shipping containers etc.);

41,000 of asylum seekers had previously entered the UK on a visa or other leave with relevant documentation.

The remainder entered through other routes, such as through the common travel area without valid permission to enter.

Looking at that data set, perhaps you can gain an understanding as to why so many UK citizens, who may or may not appreciate the difficulties in claiming asylum in the UK, question: Isn't France a safe country? or why claim asylum after entering the UK on a visa?

My subject post was solely related to the Immigration crisis and clearly Reform UK is talking the right language to what the voter wants to hear. Both the Conservatives and now Labour (who have had 14 years to address the issue) have delivered an immigration crisis beyond belief.

The scale of failure is astounding, and Labour are now offering a 'one-in, one-out' policy to the voters, a policy that is so severely deficient it is laughable.

It is a policy that will ensure Reform UK will continue to ride high in the polls.

Emmanuel Macron is playing a blinder in supporting the Reform UK cause, and Starmer was incorrect when he said the UK 'risked becoming' "an island of strangers" in a speech about immigration.

We are way past that.

Https://archive.is/SmFVW

Reform UK would end the right of migrants to apply for permanent residency in the UK after five years, and force those who already have settled status to reapply for a new stricter visa.

Reform UK wants to abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR), for which migrants can currently apply after five years, and force them to renew their visa every five years. [Between 2026 and 2030, 800,000 new migrants are estimated to get ILR.]

Reform UK state applicants would have to meet certain criteria, including a higher salary threshold and better standard of English.

Reform UK state migrants would have to have lived in the UK for seven years, up from five, and there would be tighter restrictions on bringing spouses and children to the UK.

Reform UK will ensure only UK citizens receive welfare or social housing.

Reform UK state migrants are required to have "good character" and a clean criminal record.

Reform UK proposals would “lead to hundreds of thousands of people having to apply and ultimately losing their settled status in the UK..."

Last year, the British taxpayer spent £9bn on Universal Credit that went to foreign nationals and one in six people on Universal Credit is a foreign national.

The Tories and Labour have turned Britain into a food bank for the world, at the expense of our own people.

There are no publicly available statistics on the number of immigrants born overseas who claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in the UK.

Conservative Immigration Policy - Er, don't judge us on the millions we let in...

Labour Immigration Policy - Three OUT (Three IN courtesy of France, with the parasitic broods that will follow), c.1,000 per week boat gimmigrant's IN.

Opinium Voting Intention: 17th September 2025

Starmer suffers further approval rating slump as majority think he should resign

Starmer’s approval rating slumps further to -42% net

2024 Labour voters only just give the current PM a net positive rating (39% disapprove vs. 41% approve)

Just over half (54%) think Starmer should resign – including a third (34%) of 2024 Labour voters

Reform currently leads in voting intention with 31%

Unpopular for all but two months of his premiership, the prime minister’s approval ratings are scraping historic lows.

Council by-election results scorecard 2025-2026

Con -13

Lab -28

Ref +35

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock

Athena

Athena is an AI knowledge hub which revolutionises the way customer service colleagues at Lloyds Banking Group search large volumes of information.

Athena is a one-stop knowledge shop of information for customer facing colleagues – able to scan the 13,000 internal articles that make up the Group’s internal knowledge hub, used to support customer queries on every possible topic a customer could need help with. Prior to introducing Athena, searches would take an average 59 seconds, with Athena bringing that time down to c.20 seconds – a time reduction of 66%.

Taking just colleagues who work in telephone banking teams, this will lead to 4,000 hours of time spent searching – and customers waiting - saved.

Since the start of 2025, 21,000 Group colleagues have used Athena to search 2.1 million times. By the end of the year, the Group aims to introduce Athena to many more colleagues in relevant customer support roles, hitting an estimated 40 million searches.

Hundreds of customer support colleagues have helped build and enhance the quality of Athena, by testing and learning, ensuring its accuracy and providing a constant feedback loop to improve the quality of the Group’s knowledge base.

HR programme Workday

Lloyds Banking Group will monitor its Workday HR software to help it identify the lowest-performing staff, who could be cut as part of its latest cull.

The UK banking giant plans to cut what it deems the lowest-performing staff, with around 3,000 staff at risk, half of whom could lose their jobs.

According to the independent union for Lloyds employees, the BTU, bank bosses will monitor data on its Workday HR software to select low performers.

Https://uk.investing.com/news/assorted/lloyds-banking-group-extends-broadcom-partnership-for-cloud-infrastructure-432SI-4265456

Lloyds Banking Group and Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) announced an expanded multi-year partnership to support the bank’s technology transformation initiatives.

Under the agreement, Lloyds will implement Broadcom’s VMware Cloud Foundation and mainframe solutions to enhance its infrastructure capabilities. The deployment aims to support the bank’s 28 million customers across the UK with improved digital banking services.

The partnership will enable Lloyds to deploy a private cloud environment using VMware Cloud Foundation as part of its data center consolidation strategy. The platform will support traditional, modern and AI-driven applications with unified operations and governance controls.

In customer service, AI-powered chatbots handle inquiries more efficiently, improving response times and customer satisfaction. In marketing, AI analyses customer data to identify trends and optimise campaigns, resulting in higher engagement and conversion rates. In finance, AI detects fraud and manages risk, enhancing security and building customer trust.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15102907/a-second-one-one-migrant-deportation-france-thwarted-amid-minute-legal-challenges-labours-plan-risks-descending-farce.html

labour’s bid to deport small boat migrant back to france risked turning to farce today as it emerged two cases have already been blocked amid last-minute legal challenges.

two ******* migrants!

the first deportation of a channel migrant under kier starmer’s “one in, one out” deal with france was cancelled at the last minute.

one migrant was due to be flown from heathrow to paris on an air france passenger flight on monday, but the flight was postponed amid protests by charities and threats of legal action.

the home office is understood to be planning to put him on another flight on tuesday, with the french authorities preparing to accommodate him in a hotel in roissy-en-france [paid for by the uk taxpayer], in the north-eastern suburbs of paris.

one ******* migrant!

kier starmer hails ‘groundbreaking deal’ to return small-boat migrants to france.

kier starmer: “migrants arriving by small boat will be "detained and returned to france in short order".

kier starmer: “this will show others trying to make the same journey that it will be in vain,”

kier starmer: “the plan would ‘break the model’ of people smuggling”.

Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMSIl43bWyI

Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, made the announcement on Monday and said the MP for East Wiltshire would head the party’s preparations for government.

Danny Kruger is the first sitting MP to defect to Nigel Farage's party since the general election.

Asimpleinvestor

"...the actual figure was 1161 from 18 boats and of that figure 258 were returned and 11 events were prevented."

You are incorrect. "...of that figure 258 were returned", 258 migrants were prevented (from leaving France), and this number should not be deducted from the migrants arrived data as they are totally different data sets (arrived and prevented).

My original post referenced 1,097 migrants and related specifically to the 6th of September. You have provided a weekly summary not a daily account. 1,097 migrants in 17 boats arrived in the UK on the 6th of September and the remainder of the 1,161 migrants arrived on one 1 boat on the 7th of September.

So, for the week ending 7th September there were:

Migrants arrived 1,161 [1,097 arrived on the 6th of September and data used in my original post]

Boats arrived 18 [17 arrived on the 6th of September]

Arrivals:

The data on arrivals includes individuals who:

1. Are detected on arrival in the UK

2. Are detected in the Channel by UK authorities and subsequently brought to the UK

The data on arrivals does not include individuals who are prevented from departing France, or those intercepted by French authorities and returned to France.

Preventions:

Data on preventions are operational estimates collected and provided to the UK by French authorities.

The data on preventions for migrants include:

1. Individuals who are prevented from departing France.

2. Boats that are prevented from departing France.

The document to which you referred to even states "Migrants arrived" and "Boats arrived", "Migrants prevented" and "Events prevented", it can't be clearer, and it states that it is a summarisation, "Weekly summary of small boat arrivals and preventions".

With respect to my original, perhaps the following helps, or have these media outlets also got it wrong?

https://archive.is/qipvw

The Telegraph - "Some 1,097 migrants crossed on Saturday [6th September], the highest daily number for four months, bringing the total for 2025 to 30,100.

https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2025-09-07/english-channel-crossings-pass-30000-arrivals-in-record-time

"Some 1,097 migrants crossed the Channel in 17 boats on Saturday"[6th September]

https://news.sky.com/story/labour-considering-using-military-barracks-to-house-asylum-seekers-13426406

"...considering using military barracks to house asylum seekers, as 1,097 people arrived in the UK on small boats on Saturday. [6th September]

Https://archive.is/zM6nZ#selection-1115.0-1115.134

On Saturday 6th September 17 dinghies arrived on the shores of Britain carrying a staggering total of 1,097 migrants. Those 1,097 migrants will cost the British taxpayer £44million in a single year.

What can these migrants expect. Housing, Food and spending money, healthcare, legal aid, council asylum grant (for swimming lessons, cookery classes etc., education...etc., etc.

What can I expect. Higher housing costs with higher council tax and increased energy costs, higher food costs, worsening healthcare, and no swimming or cookery classes (!).

No wonder people are marching.

Recent email from my dentist:

"Unfortunately, we’ll no longer be able to offer NHS care from 12 August 2025. There is a national shortage of dentists providing NHS care and so despite our continuous efforts to recruit for some time, we’re now sadly no longer able to offer this service at this practice...

..."If you need emergency NHS care before 12 August 2025 please call our practice. After this date, please call NHS Dentistry, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

That could result with an appointment that "can sometimes require significant travel, as some individuals have faced long journeys for care."