Yet another migrant drowns trying to reach ‘El Dorado UK’
Mayor of Calais blames crisis in the Channel on Britain’s benefits system
THE crisis in the English Channel escalated yesterday with a migrant drowning for the second day running.
The tragedy came as the mayor of Calais called Britain ‘an El Dorado’ for migrants.
At least one person drowned on the French side of the Channel amid stormy conditions yesterday, a government source said.
On Wednesday one man died and another was declared missing, presumed drowned, after a dinghy capsized off Dunkirk.
The tragedies – driven by people-trafficking gangs – came in the week it was confirmed 20,000 migrants had crossed the Channel since the start of the year. Last year 8,410 arrived. The mayor of Calais blamed Britain for the crisis. Natacha Bouchart (pictured) a member of the conservative Republicans party, said: ‘We know that a migrant who arrives in England is taken care of. They are housed, they have an income.
‘For them, England remains an El Dorado but the British government does not have the courage to review its legislation in the field.’ Britain’s soft touch had created ‘a pull factor’ that has inflicted ‘trauma’ on Calais residents for more than 20 years, Miss Bouchart told radio station RTL. She called on French president Emmanuel Macron to engage in ‘strong arm tactics’ with Britain. Home Secretary Priti Patel has authorised measures to turn around migrant boats, but they have yet to be deployed. Mr Macron’s government has insisted this would breach international maritime law, and France would refuse to accept vessels turned back in this way, it is understood.
Miss Patel agreed to give the French £54million to step up patrols on their beaches she has now authorised the first instalment – running to several million pounds – after France indicated it expected to make significant headway on combating people traffickers.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin has said he believes UK-funded coastal patrols by gendarmes – combined with extra drone surveillance – could now intercept ‘100 per cent’ of attempted launches.
On Wednesday French authorities recovered the body of a man off Dunkirk, and rescued migrants from the same dinghy. It means there have been fatalities on three out of the last 11 days. At least one migrant was reported to have gone overboard late on October 25 by men rescued 30 miles off Harwich the following morning.
Miss Patel has said that seven out of ten of the mainly young men crossing the Channel are economic migrants rather than asylum seekers fleeing persecution. The total number to have arrived between January 1 and the end of Tuesday was 20,198.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘These deaths devastating. It is another reminder how vital it is that the French do everything possible to stop people leaving French beaches in the first place.’