The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
PM’ s plan to fix migrant crisis sent to Macron
Boris Johnson has written to French President Emmanuel Macron to set out a five-point plan to tackle the migrant crisis following the deaths of 27 people in the Channel.
It comes after President Macron said he was requesting “extra help” from the UK yesterday as authorities revealed pregnant women and children were among those who died when a boat sank while crossing to the UK on Wednesday.
The prime minister said the plan, which includes joint patrols to prevent boats from leaving France and a bilateral returns agreement, would have “an immediate and significant impact” on crossings.
He also suggested the agreement would be in France’s interest by breaking the business model of criminal gangs running the peoplesmuggling trade from Normandy.
The five points of the plan, which he announced on Twitter, are:
Joint patrols to prevent more boats from leaving the French beaches;
Deploying more advanced technology, like sensors and radar;
Reciprocal maritime patrols in each other’s territorial waters and airborne surveillance;
Deepening the work of our Joint Intelligence Cell, with better real-time intelligence-sharing to deliver more arrests and prosecutions on both sides of the Channel;
Immediate work on a bilateral returns agreement with France, alongside talks to establish a UK-EU returns agreement.
Mr Johnson said: “If those who reach this country were swiftly returned, the incentive for people to put their lives in the hands of traffickers would be significantly reduced.
“This would be the single biggest step we could take together to reduce the draw to Northern France and break the business model of criminal gangs.
“I am confident that by taking these steps and building on our existing co-operation we can address illegal migration and prevent more families from experiencing the devastating loss we saw (on Wednesday).”
Earlier, Home Secretary Priti Patel said the drownings were a “dreadful shock” and described the crossings as “absolutely unnecessary” after renewing an offer of sending British officers to join patrols on French beaches during a call with French interior minister Gerald Darmanin.
The government later confirmed Ms Patel would meet Mr Darmanin over the weekend to discuss the response to the crisis, while Home Office officials and law enforcement officers will travel to Paris today “to intensify joint co-operation and intelligence-sharing”.
The scale of the problem was further illustrated by new figures from the Home Office showing asylum claims in the UK have hit their highest level for nearly 20 years, fuelled by soaring Channel migrant crossings and a rise in numbers following the coronavirus pandemic.
As French politicians pointed the finger at UK
authorities for failing to tackle the issue, two more small boats carrying desperate individuals were believed to have arrived on British shores.
One group wearing life jackets and wrapped in blankets were seen huddled together on board an RNLI lifeboat before disembarking in Dover yesterday morning. High winds put a stop to the crossings later in the day.
The French prosecutors’ office investigating the incident said the dead included 17 men, seven women and two boys and one girl believed to be teenagers.
A joint search and rescue operation by the French and British authorities launched after a fishing boat spotted people in the sea off France was finally called off late on Wednesday.
The French authorities have arrested five suspected traffickers. The prosecutors’ office said magistrates are investigating potential charges of homicide, unintentional wounding, assisting illegal migration and criminal conspiracy.