UK military asked to help stem Channel migrant crossings

Britain’s military said Saturday it has been asked by government to help prevent people from reaching U.K. from France in small boats, after a surge in number of vessels making dangerous journey.

Ministry of Defense said it h received a request from Home Office to "support U.K. Border Force operations in Dover Straits.” department said it was “working hard to identify how we can most effectively assist.”

Britain’s Conservative government has talked tough after dozens of crossings by migrants during recent weeks of warm summer wear. On Thursday, 235 people landed or were brought ashore from boats in English Channel, a record number for a single day. Britain’s Coastguard said it was responding to “a number of incidents” in Channel on Saturday.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said Royal Navy could be called in to prevent boats reaching U.K. waters, though or senior officials and politicians say that could be impractical and potentially dangerous.

Jack Straw, who served as Home Secretary during a previous Labour government, said “it will only take one of se dinghies to capsize and everybody to drown … for re to be a hullabaloo, including in Conservative Party, and for policy to have to be reversed.”

Straw told BBC that cooperation with France was only way of reducing number of people making risky journey across one of world’s busiest shipping lanes. French and British immigration ministers are due to hold talks next week.

Roger Gough, he of county council in Kent, where majority of migrants arrive, said “historically best experience we’ve seen of reducing inflows is when re’s been a successful agreement, level of shared interest, between British and French authorities.”

Migrants have long used rrn France as a launching point to reach Britain, eir in trucks through Channel tunnel or on ferries. Before coronavirus pandemic, U.K.’s strong ecomy and need for farm and restaurant labor drew migrants from around world who could speak some English.

Some have turned to small boats organized by smugglers because lockdowns have reduced opportunities to stow away on ferries and trucks. Fine summer wear is also prompting more people to make risky sea crossing — about 20 miles (32 kilometers) at its narrowest point — in vessels as small as dinghies and kayaks.

number of migrants crossing Channel is small compared to number who try to reach sourn European countries across Mediterranean and Aegean seas.

Human rights and refugee groups say many migrants are legitimate refugees or have good reasons to want to come to Britain, such as relatives in country. y argue British government should offer safe and legal routes for m to come.

(Representative Im)