Author-George Martin
Britain has been urged to funnel more money into tackling the migrant crisis, according to reports from the French government.
Home Secretary Priti Patel and French interior minister Christophe Castaner met in Paris on Thursday afternoon as small boats crossing from France to the UK continued on an almost daily basis over the last week.
They reportedly discussed the “possibility of British financial support” to tackle the latest wave of attempts by migrants to cross the English Channel.
The number of attempted crossings has “grown in magnitude” since October and their number is still “significant” during the summer, the French interior ministry said in a statement following the meeting.
France has, as does the UK, an interest in curbing these Channel crossings,” the statement said.
Financial support from London would serve to “reinforce patrols and improve effectiveness” of the three Border Force cutters stationed in the waters, Mr Castaner was quoted as saying.
In a tweet after Ms Patel’s arrival, he said he was happy to receive his counterpart at the ministry and they would discuss “new avenues of co-operation” to combat “illegal Channel crossings”.
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Any possible financial contribution would be added to the seven million euro (£6.3 million) already committed by the UK in January for monitoring equipment, according to the report.
The Home Office is yet to announce plans more than five hours after the crisis talks, which were arranged urgently in the wake of the wave of incidents over the last week.
Press access to the meeting was restricted with requests for interviews or a press conference refused.
Earlier this week, Ms Patel reportedly tasked the Home Office with finding an urgent solution to the ongoing crossings.
Last week, UK and French authorities dealt with nearly 100 migrants, including 17 children, trying to cross the Channel in one day.
On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson prompted widespread criticism from campaigners as he warned illegal migrants that they would be sent back if they risked crossing the Channel.
Some charities, lawyers and politicians branded his comments misleading, inflammatory, unlawful and inhumane, saying his claim would “violate international law”.
The UK has a legal obligation under what is known as the Dublin Regulation to ensure that asylum applications lodged are examined and considered.
In the days following Mr Johnson’s comments it emerged that almost 40,000 failed asylum seekers remain in the UK, despite being targeted for removal.
