UK agrees to send France eye-watering £54M in last-ditch deal to tackle new migrant surge
THE UK has reached a deal to hand French authorities an eye-watering £54million to help tackle the rising number of migrants crossing the Channel.
Migrant crossings: Host on 'controversial' legislation
Home Secretary Priti Patel and France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin sealed the agreement to crack down on the illegal crossings. More than 8,000 migrants have succeeded in making the dangerous trip so far this year.
The number of crossings has increased in recent days as temperatures rocket in the UK and Europe.
On Monday, at least 430 people made the journey, a new daily record.
Earlier today multiple dinghy boats, mostly carrying young men, were seen arriving at shores in Dungeness in Kent as well as in Dover.
The new deal agreed with the French border force will double the number of police patrolling French beaches.
Officers will patrol wider areas of coastline across the northern coast between Boulogne and Dunkirk and patrols will be expanded further north-west around Dieppe.
There is also set to be improved coverage via surveillance technology of the coast of France and investment in infrastructure is to increase to try and bolster border security at key border crossings.
It comes as MPs began debating the Government’s new proposals for immigration.
Ms Patel said the British people have "had enough of illegal migration and the exploitation of migrants by criminal gangs".
The Home Office has put forward a Nationality and Borders Bill, which includes clauses to allow the UK to be able to send asylum seekers to a "safe third country".
They must also submit claims at a "designated place" determined by the Secretary of State.
The legislation would also give border officials the powers to turn migrants away from the UK while at sea, and making it a criminal offence to knowingly arrive in the UK without permission.
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Sentences for convicted people smugglers would also be increased from the maximum 14 years, which is currently in place.
Ms Patel said: “The British people have simply had enough of illegal migration and the exploitation of migrants by criminal gangs.
“Illegal immigration is driven by serious organised criminals and people smugglers.
“The public are rightly angry that small boats are arriving on our shores, facilitated by appalling criminal gangs who profit from human misery and put lives at risk.
“The Government is addressing the challenge of illegal migration for the first time in over two decades through comprehensive reform of our asylum system.
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“Which will enable us to going after the gangs exploiting people, deter illegal entry into the UK, introduce new and tougher criminal offences for those attempting to enter the UK illegally and strengthen our ability to remove those with no legal right to be in the UK.”
Despite the rise in recent Channel crossings, the UK continues to see far fewer boat arrivals and asylum claims than many other European countries.
At least 44,230 people have arrived in Europe via the Mediterranean by land and sea so far this year, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Asylum applications in the UK fell in 2020 to 29,456.
This is significantly lower than the 93,475 asylum applications made in France and the 121,955 made in Germany.