Priti Patel to send boats carrying migrants to the UK back to France
The Home Secretary has reportedly sanctioned new tactics to redirect migrant boats in the Channel back to France.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPriti Patel has ordered officials to rewrite maritime laws to allow Border Force to turn boats around and be dealt with by French authorities, according to reports.
'The British public expect to see results'
The reports come after a G7 interior minister’s meeting on Wednesday (8 September).
Government sources told the PA news agency that Ms Patel and the French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, had a “constructive” meeting in which Ms Patel made clear tackling the number of people making their way from France to the UK on small boats was her “number one priority”.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdA Government source said: “The Home Secretary was clear with the French interior minister that the British public expect to see results.”
Several newspapers reported that members of Border Force are being given special training to handle migrant boats.
They would only deploy the “pushback” tactics when deemed practical and safe to do so.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdReports suggested such operations were likely to be restricted to sturdier, bigger migrant boats and only used in “very limited circumstances”.
However, it is understood that a range of options are being evaluated and tested for finding ways to stop small boats making the journey across the Channel.
Ms Patel and Mr Darmanin's discussions come just days after Ms Patel is said to have told MPs she is prepared to withhold millions of pounds of cash promised to France to help step up patrols unless an improvement is seen in the number of migrants that are intercepted by French authorities.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe UK authorities had to rescue or intercept 456 people as part of 17 incidents on Tuesday (7 September) and 301 people as part of nine incidents on Wednesday (8 September), according to the Home Office.
The French authorities reported a total of 18 events over the two days preventing a total of 628 people from reaching the UK.