By Robert Rowlands

Copyright walesonline

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said she will fight “last-minute claims” after the deportation of an Eritrean man under the UK-France migrants returns deal was temporarily blocked following a legal challenge. On Tuesday, the High Court granted the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, a “short period of interim relief” ahead of his deportation to France scheduled for a 9am flight on Wednesday. Following the temporary ruling, Ms Mahmood said: “Last minute attempts to frustrate a removal are intolerable, and I will fight them at every step. I will fight to end vexatious, last-minute claims. “I will robustly defend the British public’s priorities in any court. And I will do whatever it takes to secure our border.” The Home Office is set to appeal against the High Court decision. The first removals of migrants to France under the pilot scheme are still expected to go ahead this week. Earlier today, Liz Kendall, the Technology Secretary, told Times Radio she would not comment on “operational details”, but spoke about the deal with France to say: “This is one person, it is not going to undermine the fundamental basis of this deal. “This decision is disappointing, but it won’t prevent the rest of that deal going ahead.” Lawyers acting on the man’s behalf said the case “concerns a trafficking claim” and their client, who alleges he has a gunshot wound in his leg, claims he is vulnerable and faces a risk of “destitution” in France. The Home Office defended the case, saying it was reasonable to expect the man to claim asylum in France. Mr Justice Sheldon said on Tuesday evening: “It seems to me there is a serious issue to be tried with respect to the trafficking claim and whether or not the Secretary of State has carried out her investigatory duties in a lawful manner.” He said based on the arguments made in court, it did not seem to him that there was a “real risk” the man would “suffer destitution if he was to be returned to France”. The judge added that the case “should come back to this court as soon as is reasonably practical in light of the further representations that the claimant… will make on his trafficking decision”.