Migrant drownings a ‘dreadful shock’
HOME Secretary Priti Patel said there is “no quick fix” to tackle migrants crossing the Channel in small boats as France demanded fresh assistance and dozens more made the perilous crossing in the wake of the deadliest day of the crisis on record.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was requesting “extra help” from the UK yesterday as authorities revealed that pregnant women and children were among the at least 27 people who died when a dinghy capsized off the coast of Calais.
Ms 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.
But 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.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer expressed his frustration that the Home Secretary “isn’t doing anything to deal with this effectively” following the “heartbreaking tragedy”.
In an urgent statement to MPS, Ms Patel said: “What happened was a dreadful shock, it was not a surprise but it is also a reminder of how vulnerable people are put at peril when in the hands of criminal gangs.
“There is also no quick fix. This is about addressing longterm pull factors, smashing the criminal gangs that treat human beings as cargo and tackling supply chains.”