In recent months, the UK has seen an influx of migrants by boat from France. The record was broken for another day in August, when 828 people across 30 small boats attempted to cross.
It is unclear whether the plans also require migrants to be helped back to the French coast, or whether boats will be prevented from entering British waters and left to fend for themselves.
This policy comes from the Conservative Party Home Secretary, Priti Patel. Voices in her party are already talking about a plan that cannot be implemented. According to critics, France should, among other things, cooperate to get the boats back halfway. The Immigration Services Union also responded to a refusal: “I would be surprised if the new policy was implemented even once,” she told the British newspaper. Watchman.
France is upset
France is not satisfied with the plans and believes that the decision violates the current rules. “The friendship between our two countries deserves better than situations that undermine our cooperation,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on Twitter.
Earlier, a leaked letter from Darmanin reached the British media. In it, he wrote that he considered the plan dangerous and that protecting human lives was more important than immigration policy. The plan would also disrupt the relationship between the UK and France. Darmanin held a meeting with his British counterpart Patel on Tuesday. “Providing results and preventing crossings is a priority for the British,” she wrote on Twitter.
The French and British interior ministers struck new agreements in July on measures against illegal immigration. For example, France will use more police to search beaches. The UK has pledged more than €60 million to France to prevent illegal immigration. The UK itself wants higher prison sentences for people smugglers and migrants to discourage people from crossing the Channel.
