The Home Secretary has said that we must make this route unviable in order to secure a long-term solution to the issue. The National Crime Agency, Border Force and the Police have been engaging closely with the French authorities to crack down on the criminal gangs who facilitate these crossings.
The Home Secretary has outlined a two-part plan to stop the entry of migrants to the UK across the Channel. Ministers are urging the French authorities to move migrants who are caught attempting to reach the UK by boat away from Calais and the UK is funding patrols on the beaches of northern France to prevent migrants crossing in the first place. The second part of the plan is to intercept and return anyone who attempts to make a crossing. The Government has asked the French to consider interceptions at sea and has offered to work with the authorities in France on joint exercises to highlight how boats can be returned safely.
Once the occupants of the boats arrive on our shores, they do not automatically receive the right to remain in the UK. France is a safe country with an established asylum system. Those coming across the Channel should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.
