Let us patrol the Channel together, PM urges Macron
Johnson writes to French president to propose joint action on stemming the flow of migrant crossings
THE Prime Minister last night formally proposed launching joint French and British patrols in Calais to stem the tide of Channel migrant crossings, in a letter to Emmanuel Macron.
Boris Johnson also proposed a new “returns agreement” which would see migrants who illegally arrive in Britain sent back to France.
In exchange, ministers would agree to increase the number of child migrants with links to Britain that are resettled here.
A senior government source said: “A returns agreement would be the single biggest deterrent of these crimes. If migrants that cross the Channel illegally are sent back to France this totally busts the smuggling gangs.”
It came as Tory MPS called for a more radical overhaul of the Human Rights Act after Whitehall insiders said Priti Patel’s plan to turn back boats carrying migrants would likely break existing law.
Mr Johnson’s letter will be seen as an attempt to push ahead with constructive discussions after days of fingerpointing between British and French politicians following the tragedy in the Channel.
Other UK proposals include more sensors on French beaches, better airborne surveillance, extra maritime patrols and joint intelligence work.
Mr Johnson said: “I remain confident that our two great countries can rise to this challenge and build on our deep security cooperation to address illegal migration and human trafficking at our shared border as well as upstream across the continent of Europe, in the Mediterranean and beyond.”
The French president urged Mr Johnson on a call on Wednesday night “to refrain from exploiting a tragic situation for political ends”, according to an Élysée Palace readout.
The discussions are complicated by tensions in the relationship on other issues, such as the number of UK fishing licences granted to the French, a standoff over trade tensions in Northern Ireland caused by Brexit and the recent Australia-uk-us nuclear submarine pact.
Cabinet ministers are among those in the UK who believe Mr Macron has lent into recent political rows to shore up support at home ahead of his re-election attempt next spring – an accusation of politicisation that French ministers have also thrown at Downing Street.
There were signs yesterday of talks becoming more constructive. Home Office officials are travelling to France today for discussions on wider co-oper
ation on Channel migrants. Mr Johnson’s letter doubles down on Ms Patel’s offer – made last week and repeated yesterday – for UK police, border officials or even troops to patrol French beaches.
The Prime Minister is proposing that Border Force officials join the French for such patrols as soon as possible, potentially as early as Monday.
It is expected they would not be able to carry out arrests, but could help monitor potential launching points and deter smugglers. Some French politicians yesterday said the idea could undercut French sovereignty.
Meanwhile, Tory MPS yesterday called for a more radical overhaul of the Human Rights Act as Whitehall insiders admitted that Ms Patel’s plan to turn back migrant boats would likely break existing law.
The Home Secretary is proposing a “turn back the boats” policy that would involve escorting vessels carrying
‘If migrants that cross the Channel illegally are sent back to France this totally busts the smuggling gangs’
‘I remain confident that our two countries can rise to this challenge and build on our security co-operation’
migrants back towards the country that they set sail from.
However, the policy has prompted a battle inside the Government amid fears that people on the inflatable boats could puncture them as UK vessels attempted to turn them around.
Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, is planning reforms to the Human Rights Act, which incorporate into UK law the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights of 1998.
However, it is unclear if the changes would allow the UK Government to adopt hardline measures on tackling the arrival of small boats pushed by the Home Office.
One Conservative MP said if the Government was “weak” more people travelling across the Channel could die, while a second called for the entire piece of legislation to be scrapped.
A senior government figure has warned that the policy could fall foul of existing laws, such as the Human Rights Act or obligations in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
Internal government estimates also suggest that even if the controversial policy could be adopted it would only be able to turn back around 1 per cent of boats crossing the Channel carrying migrants.