More and more migrants are crossing the Channel to reach the UK. The British government, which has made immigration control one of its Brexit priorities, is putting pressure on France to step up controls on its side of the border and prevent crossings.
France has warned the Channel could become a “theatre of human tragedies” as the country vowed to block Priti Patel’s controversial plan to “push back” migrant boats, sparking a major diplomatic row. Relations between France and the UK has plunged to a new low as the UK was accused of breaking maritime law and of “blackmail” after the British government threatened to withhold funds on order for France to beef up its coastal patrols.
The clash occurred as leading lawyers, a senior Tory MP, the union representing Border Force officers, and a former chief of the naval staff all agreed that the pushback policy was likely to be unworkable without French cooperation. Lord West, the ex-naval chief, also warned that the plan – which Ms Patel hopes to launch within weeks – could easily end up with “someone being killed”.
The crossing is short and dangerous. More and more migrants are trying to cross the Pas-de-Calais Strait from France to the UK in boats.
On Monday 6 September, 785 of them arrived on the British coast, and 200 were intercepted beforehand by French security forces. This summer, a record 828 crossings were made in one day, bringing the year-to-date figure to over 13,500 (compared to just over 8,000 in 2020), and 1,000 in two days.
