Britain has announced a tightening of its immigration laws by forbidding rejected asylum seekers from launching an appeal within the country.
The news came as new figures showed Britain received 19,520 applications in the first quarter of the year, up 1,520 from the previous quarter - and that 75 per cent of them were rejected.
Nearly 3,000 failed asylum seekers were removed from Britain over the three months as the government processed claims more quickly and chartered flights to ship applicants out en masse.
Under the new laws, failed asylum applicants will be sent back to their country of origin, or a country they passed through on the way to Britain, from where they can appeal against the British authorities' decision, an interior ministry official said.
The latest flashpoint for Britain is the Sangatte refugee camp, in northern France, from where asylum seekers launch nightly forays into the nearby Channel Tunnel in an attempt to reach England.
European Union leaders will discuss harmonising their immigration and asylum laws at a summit in Seville next month.