Channel crossings: Migrant boats could be turned back in new UK move

 

Channel crossings: Migrant boats could be turned back in new UK move

By Doug Faulkner & Francesca Gillett

BBC News

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58495948

 

A government source told the BBC if used, the tactic would only happen in "very certain, narrow circumstances".

 

The details are still to be finalised - but there are questions over whether it would break international maritime law.

 

France is likely to oppose any such move, saying "safeguarding human lives at sea takes priority".

 

Ms Patel met her French counterpart, interior minister Gérald Darmanin, on Wednesday for talks on the migrant crisis - but the two sides failed to agree any new measures.

 

After the meeting, it was reported by some newspapers that the government was considering allowing Border Force officials to turn away boats.

 

The BBC's source said that although the government is agreed on the potential idea, the operational details are still to be finalised.

 

But France believes the idea is dangerous and flouts international maritime law. Under the law, people at risk of losing their lives at sea must be rescued.

 

So far this week, more than 1,500 migrants have crossed the English Channel by boat.

 

The UK government has said it needs to use every possible tactic at its disposal to tackle people smuggling.

 

The Immigration Services Union (ISU) - which represents borders, immigration and customs staff - said the tactic had never been used before in the English Channel, but it had been used in the Mediterranean.

 

Lucy Moreton from the ISU said she would be "very surprised" if the tactic ends up being used at all - calling it "dead in the water".

 

"There are understandably a lot of constraints around it, and you cannot do this with a vessel which is in any way vulnerable.

 

"But more importantly, you also need the consent of the French to do it. Because as you turn the vessel back towards France, when it crosses the median line it has to be intercepted and rescued by the French, and it appears the French will simply not engage in this."

 

According to the Daily Telegraph, Ms Patel has secured legal advice allowing vessels to redirect small boats away from British waters. The BBC has not confirmed this.

 

Rising numbers of migrants have been crossing the English Channel in recent months - with a record number making the journey on Saturday.

 

The Channel is one of the most dangerous and busiest shipping lanes in the world. Many migrants come from some of the poorest and most chaotic parts of the world, and many ask to claim asylum once they are picked up by the UK authorities.

 

In July, the UK and France struck a deal to try and reduce the number of migrants crossing, with the UK promising to pay France £54.2m for extra action such as doubling the number of coast patrols.

 

What happens to migrants in the English Channel?

If migrants are found in UK national waters, it is likely they will be brought to a British port

If they are in international waters, the UK will work with French authorities to decide where to take them

Each country has search-and-rescue zones

An EU law called Dublin III allows asylum seekers to be transferred back to the first member state they were proven to have entered but the UK is no longer part of this arrangement and has not agreed a new scheme to replace it