Javid backs down and sends in more boats
Two vessels sail for Channel as only cutter on migrant search sits in port for two days
By Steven Swinford, Jamie Johnson
and Charles Hymas
SAJID JAVID last night bowed to pressure from Conservative MPS as he announced that two more cutters would be sent to the Channel to help deal with the migrant crisis.
In a significant escalation of Britain’s approach to the situation, the Home Secretary announced that three boats would now patrol the Channel to help ensure migrants attempting to make the crossing do not drown, with two redeployed from the Mediterranean.
Mr Javid has previously resisted calls to send more cutters to the Channel because of concern they will act as a “magnet” for migrants.
Announcing the change in his position last night, Mr Javid said he also wanted to make clear to those attempting to make the crossing that Britain would do “everything we can” to ensure their journey “is not a success”, including returning them to France.
The Home Secretary broke off his safari holiday in South Africa on Sunday and flew home to take direct control of the situation after he was accused by MPS from his own party of demonstrating “a lack of leadership”.
It could be up to a month before one of the Border Force cutters, currently in the Mediterranean, is back in British waters. The other, stationed in Gibraltar, is expected to be operating in the Channel within a week.
The additional commitments came as The Daily Telegraph established that HMC Searcher, the only cutter currently patrolling the Channel for illegal immigrants, has been in dock for two days. Locals have taken to calling it the “eternal flame” because it “never goes out”. The Border Force has a second cutter, the HMC Vigilant, in home waters, but it is on other customs business and has not been diverted to deal with the migrant issue.
Charlie Elphicke, the Tory MP for Dover, said: “I am delighted that Sajid Javid has listened and is bringing two more cutters to the English Channel. However, given that they will take up to a month to be here, it is vital that our existing cutter is out at sea, not sitting in a dock in Ramsgate.
“The best deterrent is for migrants to be returned safely to France. Once the migrants and traffickers know there is no hope of getting to Britain, they will stop trying to come here in the first place.”
After meeting officials from Whitehall, the Border Force and National Crime Agency yesterday morning, Mr Javid made clear that additional cutters were being redirected to the English Channel to save lives.
He said: “As Home Secretary I have a duty to protect the UK border as well as a duty to protect human life. Anyone
crossing the Channel – one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world – is taking a huge risk with their life. Whatever your motivations are, no one wants to see a tragedy. We have already seen children as young as nine on these boats.”
Mr Javid is now assessing whether Britain can deny asylum to migrants who make it to its waters on the basis that they have already passed through several other “safe” countries on their journey, including France.
He also said Britain would take both direct and “covert” action to disrupt smuggling gangs in France, while The Telegraph understands that Border Force officials are also considering using a fixed-wing drone to conduct surveillance in the Channel.
Mr Javid said: “I don’t want people to think that if they leave a safe country like France that they can just get to Britain and get to stay. I am working with the French to increase the number of returns that we can make. We will do all we can to protect human life but also to protect our borders.”
The French will also be adding a 25crew navy patrol boat to their efforts, French maritime sources have confirmed to The Telegraph. Le Pluvier, based in Cherbourg, is to arrive in the Channel tomorrow, where it will stay for up to a week to carry out patrols.
Asked if an extra Border Force cutter would be beneficial to the overall operation, Ingrid Parrot, from the French Naval headquarters for the Channel and North Sea, said: “Of course. One boat would certainly help ease the pressure on us. We are doing the best we can at the moment and cooperation is really important. However, we understand that the most crucial point is stopping people on French beaches.”
The Home Office disclosed that 539 migrants have tried to cross the Channel in the past year, with 80 per cent making their attempts in the last three months. Of those, nearly half have been intercepted by the French.
Twelve migrants, including a 10-year-old child, were yesterday detained after landing on a beach in Kent. More than 100 migrants have either made it to the UK or been intercepted at sea since Christmas Eve.
Most of the migrants risking the dangerous winter crossing claim to be Iranian men who have paid thousands to people traffickers for “guaranteed” passage to the UK. However, some may be falsely claiming the nationality to boost their chances of staying in the UK, according to a former head of home office immigration enforcement.
David Wood said organised criminals would be advising the migrants to lie or destroy documents, as they knew claiming to be Iranian was likely to provide the best chance of a new life in the UK.
“A lot of them won’t be Iranians,” he said. “They will be nationality swapping because it’s beneficial. They know they will be able to stay. The criminals will brief them on what they need to say.”