WATCH NOW: Former Director General of Border Force Tony Smith shares his fears over a planned ‘one-in, one-out’ return agreement with France

The Home Office said the deal with France is a ‘work in progress’

A former Director General of UK Border Force has cast huge doubt over plans for a new deal with France, fearing Sir Keir Starmer may “sell out on a deal we don’t need to”.

Speaking to GB News, Tony Smith told hosts Tom Harwood and Emily Carver that he is “really nervous” about the proposed deal going ahead.

Under the potential new “one in, one out” scheme, Channel migrants would be sent back to France within weeks of their arrival in return for the UK taking asylum seekers from France.

Home Office sources told The Telegraph that the plans were a “work in progress”.

Keir Starmer has been warned by Tony Smith of ‘selling out Britain’ to France with latest proposed migrant deal

Delivering his verdict on the potential new agreement, Smith told GB News: “I’m really nervous about it if I’m honest. I shouldn’t be, because I spent a lot of time in the Home Office myself trying to get the French to take asylum seekers back.

“But my worry about this is in the detail. What is the deal that we’re doing with France? Who are these people that we’re going to be taking in in return?”

Expressing concern for Britain “opening the doors for people we don’t need to”, Smith added: “Are these people that aren’t currently allowed into the UK, and are we opening the door to people that we don’t have to?

“In terms of the returns agreement, are we turning them back on the ship straight away in the Channel, or are they coming ashore? If they are, are we going to detain them and fow long? How many of them will go back?”

One thing these predictions show is that we have to be like the foreigners and the Muslims now if we don’t all stick together and vote reform then we can kiss this country goodbye forever

Britain and France are in negotiations for a ‘one in, one out’ migrant dealPA

Admitting his optimism for Labour tackling the migrant crisis is “severely dented”, Smith explained: “I’ve got so many questions swirling around in my head about this, that my optimism, I’m afraid, has been severely dented.

“I suppose we need to see the detail, don’t we, when the actual announcement comes out. But at the moment I’m not encouraged.”

Revealing that his own authority has been “offering help to the Home Office” in exploring methods to bring illegal migration down, Smith told GB News: “I run my own border security company these days, so we have been offering help to the Home Office if they want advice on options.

“Many people on my books have been around the block, including me on a lot of this stuff, and a lot of the narratives that’s coming out, I’m afraid some of the negotiations that are underway, I’m not entirely sure we’re going to stick.

Smith told GB News that his company would be ‘happy to help the Home Office’ with advice on options

GB News

“So yes, I am very happy to help out if asked.”

Warning the Prime Minister of “selling Britain out” on a deal with France in “desperation” of tackling the migrant crisis, Smith cautioned: “I’m really, really worried about our negotiating position and how good our negotiating team is.

“Are we getting all of the facts presented to us? I suspect negotiations are still underway now, but my worry is because there’s so much desperation around this in Government about trying to get a grip of this, that we may sell out on a deal that we don’t need to.

“And that’s my worry, and so I’m really quite nervous about what we’re going to hear, but let’s wait and see.”