Theresa May aids Greece with border staff to stop economic migrants
THERESA May is sending dozens more border staff to Greece to help turn back economic migrants, she announces today as she warns that voters' willingness to help real refugees will run out if Europe fails to get a grip on its migration crisis.
Theresa May sent out border staff to Greece to help manage the migrant crisis on the border
The Prime Minister will press for long-term solutions to stem the flow of refugees and migrants from the Middle East and beyond, as she attends a summit in Brussels with fellow European Union leaders.
Theresa May is expected to underline the need to find a "practical, sustainable way to approach this, recognising that of course we want to be able to respond to humanitarian need but also be aware of the way some of our communities are experiencing the pressures of migration and need support dealing with those challenges," said a Number 10 source.
"So it is important we find a better way to deal with this in the longer term, partly through some of the discussions now going on at the United Nations about the global approach on migration, and that a failure to respond risks undermining our values and damaging the consent of our people to provide support and sanctuary to those that need it most."
Greece faces opposition in deporting migrants to Turkey
Theresa May is expected to press for concrete solutions at an EU summit
It is important we find a better way to deal with this in the longer term
The UK will send 40 extra immigration case workers, interpreters and deportation experts to Greece over the winter, in two phases of eight weeks from next month, taking the number of British officials involved there to over 110 over the season.
They will help with a Greek pilot scheme to fast-track the processing of Iraqi, Afghan and Eritrean nationals who are least likely to be granted refugee status, so that they can be returned more quickly to their home countries.
40 extra immigrant workers will help sort refugees from economic migrants
The Government hopes this will help deter economic migrants from risking the dangerous journey to Europe, by sending the message that they are more likely to be turned back.
The crisis in Aleppo, Syria is also on the agenda in Brussels with a focus on how to get aid to the desperate residents.