Suella signs deal to tackle small boats
But Tory MPs warn Home Secretary not to ‘throw good money after bad’ under £63m agreement with France
RISHI Sunak insists he is getting a “grip” on the small boats crisis after the Home Secretary signed a revised deal with France to ramp up Channel beach patrols.
British Border Force officials will be posted in French control rooms for the first time so they can monitor operations tackling the people smugglers close up.
The number of officers stationed on the shoreline in northern France will also be increased by 40 per cent under the £63million deal.
But Tory MPs yesterday warned the Government against throwing “good money after bad” – the UK has given France £200million since 2015 in various bids to stem the flow of migrants.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman did not accept the criticism but admitted the new deal would not solve the crisis “on its own”. She said: “This new partnership recognises the importance of working side by side with one of our closest neighbours and most valued allies. We want to make the small boat route unviable, save lives, dismantle the organised crime groups and tackle illegal immigration before it reaches our shores.”
The agreement was signed as more than 100 migrants reached the UK in small boats despite thick fog descending on the Channel.
While the Government is yet to confirm the official figures for yesterday, at least 100 asylum seekers were brought into Dover, Kent, on board Border Force ship Hurricane shortly before 11am.
They could be seen queuing alongside a white Mercedes-Benz coach to be taken for processing at Manston near Ramsgate, Kent.
The mostly male group were clad in hooded coats and white blankets after battling cold conditions at sea. There were also arrivals, including children and women further along the coast at Dungeness.
Tim Loughton, a former minister, said: “Whilst co-operation with the French is no doubt welcome, is it not the case that since 2015 the British taxpayer has subsidised the French police force to the tune of £215million.
“There is nothing in this agreement that obliges the French police to detain and arrest anybody they intercept so they are free to come back the following night and try
again, in which case we are throwing good money after bad.”
Mrs Braverman told MPs in response: “On its own this agreement will not fix the problem, it’s important everyone is clear about that. But I am very proud of the cooperation the UK and France have led over recent years. This deal represents a step change and big step forward.
“For the first time, under this new integrated approach, UK officers will join law enforcement colleagues in France as embedded observers. [It] will include significant investment in intelligence capability and information sharing all agencies will use, including the National Crime Agency and Europol.
“I’m not going to overplay this agreement. It provides a very good platform from which deeper collaboration can be secured.”
Under the new agreement, signed by Mrs Braverman and French Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin in Paris, the UK will pay France £63million this year, up from £55m last year.
She went on to emphasise the joint working, adding: “I do encourage everybody to support the deal we have secured.”
But Natalie Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover, said it “falls far short of what is needed” and amounted to “more of the same”.
The Prime Minister said stopping illegal migration is a priority for the public and that he spent more time on the growing problem than on any issue apart from the economy since he entered No 10.
Mr Sunak told reporters travelling with him to the G20 summit in Bali: “I made a commitment that I would grip it in the summer.
“I’ve been honest that we can’t fix it overnight. But there’s a range of things I’m working on, including the French deal.”
More than 40,000 migrants have travelled to Britain in small boats from France so far this year.
Under the pact, surveillance will be stepped up at ports to prevent illegal entry using lorries. More drones and night vision technology will be used on the shoreline.
A new taskforce is also being set up to stop the trend of Albanians heading to the UK illegally, with more than 10,000 men from the country arriving so far this year.