Only five illegal immigrants who arrived in the UK by crossing the English Channel in small boats have been sent back to Europe this year, a minister told MPs. Tom Pursglove, a minister for both the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, said there had been “difficulties securing returns” when he was questioned by the Commons Home Affairs Committee on Wednesday. Pursglove told the committee there were 294 returns overall relating to small boat arrivals, but only five were returned this year to a European country. He added later that “there is not a returns agreement with the European Union in place at the moment.” Before Brexit, the UK was part of an EU returns deal known as the Dublin agreement. When committee chair Yvette Cooper suggested returns are “substantially worse” since losing the agreement, Pursglove said, “You will appreciate that there have been some difficulties around securing returns, …