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| Version 5 | Version 6 |
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| Boris Johnson considers law change amid rising migrant crossings | Boris Johnson considers law change amid rising migrant crossings |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| The UK needs to consider changes to asylum laws to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel, Boris Johnson has said. | The UK needs to consider changes to asylum laws to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel, Boris Johnson has said. |
| The prime minister said it was currently "very, very difficult" to legally return people who arrive in the UK from France using small boats. | The prime minister said it was currently "very, very difficult" to legally return people who arrive in the UK from France using small boats. |
| More than 4,000 people have successfully crossed English Channel this way so far this year. | More than 4,000 people have successfully crossed English Channel this way so far this year. |
| UK and French ministers will meet later to discuss how to reduce this number. | |
| Immigration Minister Chris Philp is travelling to Paris for talks, accompanied by the newly appointed Clandestine Channel Threat Commander Dan O'Mahoney, to demand stronger measures from the French authorities. | |
| The UK government has said it wants to work with the French authorities to make the route "unviable". | |
| Speaking ahead of the meeting, the UK's former national security adviser Lord Ricketts said the UK may need to pay for increased enforcement along the French coast. | |
| "The French do have 300km of coastline facing the UK which is quite hard to police and I think a lot of the money they are asking for is to reinforce mobile patrols up and down those beaches to stop people even getting into these boats," he said. | |
| Mr Johnson has pledged to work with the French authorities to discourage people from making the "dangerous" journey across the channel. | |
| But he added the UK also needed to look at "the panoply of laws that an illegal immigrant has at his or her disposal that allow them to stay here". | But he added the UK also needed to look at "the panoply of laws that an illegal immigrant has at his or her disposal that allow them to stay here". |
| 'Range of options' | 'Range of options' |
| On Monday, the Ministry of Defence said it had sent an RAF Atlas transport aircraft to help Border Force spot small boats trying to cross the Channel. | On Monday, the Ministry of Defence said it had sent an RAF Atlas transport aircraft to help Border Force spot small boats trying to cross the Channel. |
| The Home Office had asked defence chiefs for help to deal with migrants making the crossing. | The Home Office had asked defence chiefs for help to deal with migrants making the crossing. |
| Since Thursday, more than 600 people have been intercepted on the route. | |
| Downing Street said Border Force was looking at a "range of options," including new measures, to stop boats entering British waters. | Downing Street said Border Force was looking at a "range of options," including new measures, to stop boats entering British waters. |
| EU Laws | EU Laws |
| The UK is currently following EU asylum law during its 11-month post-Brexit transition period following its departure from the bloc in January. | The UK is currently following EU asylum law during its 11-month post-Brexit transition period following its departure from the bloc in January. |
| This includes the so-called Dublin regulation, which states that a person's asylum claim can be transferred to the first member state they entered. | This includes the so-called Dublin regulation, which states that a person's asylum claim can be transferred to the first member state they entered. |
| The PM's spokesman said the UK wanted to replace the "inflexible and rigid" regulation with a new agreement on returns after December. | The PM's spokesman said the UK wanted to replace the "inflexible and rigid" regulation with a new agreement on returns after December. |
| He added that the current Dublin rules, which put a time limit on transfers, could be "abused by both migrants and their lawyers to frustrate the returns of those who have no right to be here". | He added that the current Dublin rules, which put a time limit on transfers, could be "abused by both migrants and their lawyers to frustrate the returns of those who have no right to be here". |
| In a letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel on Monday, 23 Tory MPs and two peers said the UK should refuse to sign up to a "similar agreement" to Dublin after December. | |
| They also urged "stronger enforcement efforts" to address a "surge in illegal immigration". | They also urged "stronger enforcement efforts" to address a "surge in illegal immigration". |
| The group says ministers should do "whatever it takes" to address the rising number of people trying to enter the UK via the English Channel. | The group says ministers should do "whatever it takes" to address the rising number of people trying to enter the UK via the English Channel. |
| "It is strikingly clear that, rather than a 'hostile environment', invading migrants have been welcomed," they wrote. | "It is strikingly clear that, rather than a 'hostile environment', invading migrants have been welcomed," they wrote. |
| They added that some migrants had been offered "immediate access to regular payments whilst accommodated at taxpayer expense in expensive hotels." | They added that some migrants had been offered "immediate access to regular payments whilst accommodated at taxpayer expense in expensive hotels." |
| "All this is relayed to people smugglers and potential economic migrants in France, encouraging and emboldening those intent on facilitating further border crossings." | "All this is relayed to people smugglers and potential economic migrants in France, encouraging and emboldening those intent on facilitating further border crossings." |
| Speaking during a visit to Dover on Monday, Ms Patel said the number of recent boat crossings was "totally unacceptable". | |
| "Collectively with the French, we need make this route unviable," she added. | |
| Since the demolition of the infamous 'Jungle' nearly four years ago, French authorities have been successful in stopping other large-scale camps from forming. | Since the demolition of the infamous 'Jungle' nearly four years ago, French authorities have been successful in stopping other large-scale camps from forming. |
| But migrants do still arrive in Calais; they are just more scattered. | But migrants do still arrive in Calais; they are just more scattered. |
| Greater security measures - including a wall built along the motorway with UK funding - have made it more difficult for migrants to stow away on lorries. | Greater security measures - including a wall built along the motorway with UK funding - have made it more difficult for migrants to stow away on lorries. |
| But that's led the people smugglers to increasingly turn to using the equally risky method of small boats. | But that's led the people smugglers to increasingly turn to using the equally risky method of small boats. |
| The UK and France have worked closely on this for close to two decades. | The UK and France have worked closely on this for close to two decades. |
| The Treaty of Le Touquet which effectively 'moved' the UK border to Calais (and the French border to Dover) to allow checks to happen before crossings, was signed in 2003. | The Treaty of Le Touquet which effectively 'moved' the UK border to Calais (and the French border to Dover) to allow checks to happen before crossings, was signed in 2003. |
| But they can't change geography. | But they can't change geography. |
| Calais remains a magnet because it is only 20 miles from the UK - on a clear day in Dover, you can see the headlights of French traffic on the other side of the sea. | Calais remains a magnet because it is only 20 miles from the UK - on a clear day in Dover, you can see the headlights of French traffic on the other side of the sea. |
| No amount of planes, walls or Navy deployments can alter that. | No amount of planes, walls or Navy deployments can alter that. |
| Quite apart from the humanitarian issue here, there is added political pressure for the UK government. | Quite apart from the humanitarian issue here, there is added political pressure for the UK government. |
| David Cameron was pretty roundly criticised for suggesting in 2016 that Brexit would mean the French would pull out of bilateral agreements and we'd see "Jungles" popping up on the South coast of England. | David Cameron was pretty roundly criticised for suggesting in 2016 that Brexit would mean the French would pull out of bilateral agreements and we'd see "Jungles" popping up on the South coast of England. |
| There's certainly no indication of that, but there's no doubt that the images of dinghies landing on Kent's beaches will be a difficult one for a government that has set huge store by its promise to 'take back control' of immigration. | There's certainly no indication of that, but there's no doubt that the images of dinghies landing on Kent's beaches will be a difficult one for a government that has set huge store by its promise to 'take back control' of immigration. |