Priti Patel last night told France to start towing boatloads of illegal migrants back to its shores – as numbers crossing the Channel to England surged to near-record levels.
Up to 200 migrants were intercepted by Border Force patrols off the British coast yesterday in what is feared to be a new daily record.
The crossings came as the Home Secretary met her new French counterpart Gerald Darmanin in Calais to push for fresh action to curb the ‘unacceptable’ daily crossings and tackle the ruthless people-smuggling gangs behind them.
The two ministers agreed to establish a small joint intelligence unit based in Coquelles, near Calais, where UK Border Force and National Crime Agency officers will work alongside their French counterparts.
Priti Patel last night told France to start towing boatloads of illegal migrants back to its shores when the Home Secretary met her new French counterpart Gerald Darmanin in Calais
Up to 200 migrants were intercepted by Border Force patrols off the British coast in Dover yesterday in what is feared to be a new daily record
Mr Darmanin said the new unit will consist of six British and six French police officers.
But Miss Patel also demanded fresh action from France to halt the crossings and take back those who make it to the UK illegally.
A Home Office source said: ‘She talked about the collective experience of officials in the room saying, “It is not beyond us in this room to create a plan for returns at sea.”
‘She was also clear that going forward we will be returning these people back to France.’
The Home Secretary said illegal crossings ‘simply cannot be allowed to go on,’ hours after up to 100 people tried to make their way from France to England in small inflatable boats
Ms Patel wore a protective face mask as she met the French Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, in Calais on Sunday
Miss Patel is said to have demanded that the French navy intercept migrants and tow their boats back to shore.
She also requested permission for Border Force cutters to return illegal migrants picked up in the Channel directly to France rather than having to take them to the UK.
A Home Office source said Mr Darmanin, who has been in post for less than a week, had agreed to ‘do things differently’, but it was unclear what, if any, additional action he will take.
The source added: ‘Priti is incredibly unhappy with the number of small boats making this journey.’
Border Force officers were out assisting the coastguard and local lifeboat crews near Dover
The most recent crossings follow reports that French authorities have dismantled a migrant camp near Calais, resulting in more than 500 people being moved on
On one day in June, 166 asylum seekers managed to reach Britain’s shores in eight boats
Speaking after yesterday’s talks, the Home Secretary acknowledged that France was conducting ‘significant’ work to tackle the problem, but said numbers remained ‘unacceptably high’.
‘This simply cannot be allowed to go on,’ she said.
‘I have signed an agreement with the French to create a joint intelligence cell which will crack down on the gangs behind this vile people smuggling operation and impressed on my French counterpart the need to stop these illegal crossings for the benefit of both our countries.’
Mr Darmanin said: ‘Together, we must strengthen our security cooperation, in particular in the fight against the illegal crossings of the English Channel by migrants risking their lives.’
Mr Darmanin says: ‘Together, we must strengthen our security cooperation, in particular in the fight against the illegal crossings of the English Channel by migrants risking their lives’
Sources say the Home Secretary is ‘incredibly unhappy’ with the number of illegal crossings
More than 2,400 people have made the illegal Channel crossing so far in 2020, with 702 refugees reaching the UK on small boats last month alone
Miss Patel is under intense pressure to get on top of a problem she had previously pledged to have all but eradicated by now.
While she was in Calais for talks yesterday, a dozen small boats were detected in the Channel carrying scores of migrants in the opposite direction.
The final tally was unconfirmed last night, but sources said it was likely to exceed the previous single-day record of 166, set on June 3.
This weekend’s crossings follow a spell of bad weather that deterred people smugglers from making the voyage
So far this year a total of at least 2,438 people have made the illegal Channel crossing, compared with 1,850 during the whole of 2019.
Sources said many had claimed asylum on arrival, complicating the process of removing them.
Twenty-seven people attempted the crossing in four boats on Saturday.
When yesterday’s number is confirmed it is likely to take the total above 2,600.