Tragic human cost of the migrant stand-off

ON a beach in France, a supposed beacon of civilised europe, it was a tragic and haunting symbol of abject political failure.

Lying in the Calais surf, the washed-up body of a young Sudanese migrant who drowned trying to cross the english Channel in a tiny inflatable dinghy using spades as oars.

No one should be surprised. The spectre of desperate men, women and children dying on the perilous journey has loomed large for months.

But while British and French ministers have uttered fine words, they have failed miserably to grasp the problem by the scruff of the neck.

Indeed, even before the authorities named the unfortunate victim, an unseemly blame game broke out. They should hang their heads in shame.

So far this year, nearly 5,000 migrants have made the illegal crossing to Britain. Some are genuine refugees, fleeing war or persecution. Others are economic migrants.

rather than seeking sanctuary in the first safe place they reach, they dream of a better life in the UK, where work and benefits are easier to obtain.

Consequently, they pay huge sums to evil people-smuggling gangs who set them to sea in rickety boats.

What can be done? The best option is to convince asylum-seekers – and the criminals who traffic them – that their trip is futile. But despite the UK paying France hundreds of millions to crack down on the racket, its navy cynically persists in escorting boats into British waters – washing their hands of the problem.

And the idea of an Anglo-French accord to turn back migrants at sea has been greeted by Paris with an uninterested ‘non’. Instead, Boris Johnson – who has promised border security, not chaos – should eliminate the ‘pull’ factor. Couldn’t he use his huge Commons majority to make it easier to deport anybody with an unfounded asylum claim – and harder for them to make a new life here?

By helping end the wretched trafficking trade, this would be a humane course of action.

Ministers on both sides of the Channel must urgently find a solution – or face having more deaths on their conscience.