Priti Patel has risked further damaging diplomatic relations with France by sanctioning plans to forcibly redirect migrant boats back across the Channel.
The home secretary has “ordered officials to rewrite maritime law to allow boats carrying migrants to be intercepted in the Channel”, meaning Border Force will be allowed to turn boats around and force French authorities to deal with them on their return to French waters, The Times said.
Officers will also “be trained in new tactics to turn around small vessels” after Patel “lost patience over what she perceives as French inaction”.
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Under the controversial new proposals, Border Force will contact the French coastguard to inform it that vessels in French territorial waters were in need of rescue, handing France the legal responsibility for the migrant boats.
Asked about the plans this morning, Health Minister Helen Whately did not deny boats would be turned back, telling Sky News that the government wants to “deter” migrant crossings and was “looking at all the options”.
“You wouldn’t want to put people in any greater danger, they’re taking a dangerous journey as it is,” Whately said. “What we want to do is actually deter them from starting that journey in the first place.”
Campaigners have previously described the pushback plans, first outlined in July, as both illegal and “morally wrong”, the Independent reported.
Charities urged the Home Office to take a “more humane and responsible approach”, the Evening Standard said, and stressed that more humanitarian visas were needed to help “prevent the chaos of the Channel crossings”.
Meanwhile, the French government has already warned Patel that the move would have “a negative impact on our co-operation”.
In a letter to Patel seen by the Financial Times, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, said: “The French position on intervention at sea remains unchanged. Safeguarding human lives at sea takes priority over considerations of nationality, status and migratory policy, out of strict respect for the international maritime law governing search and rescue at sea.”
Tensions have been growing over Channel crossings in recent weeks. Before talks between Patel and her opposite number yesterday, the Daily Express said Paris had warned that it would equate to a “serious loss of trust” if the UK tabled fresh demands.
Earlier this week, Patel, who recently agreed to pay France £54m to double patrols on its Channel coast, was reported to be “furious” at the number of migrants being intercepted. Patel told Conservative MPs that she was “prepared to pull the funding promised less than two months ago if they failed to stop three in four crossings by the end of this month”.
Patel’s anger was stoked after a record number of migrants were believed to have attempted to cross the Channel earlier this week.
Eyewitnesses told Sky News that at least 1,000 men, women and children were spotted making the journey from France to the UK, taking advantage of the heatwave and some of the most settled weather conditions for some weeks.
