UK and France pledge drive to tackle people smuggling in Channel

Labour accuse government of whipping up migration issue ahead of Brexit vote
French authorities intercept a small boat carrying migrants near Dunkirk. Photograph: AP

Heather Stewart-Sun 30 Dec 2018

The home secretary, Sajid Javid, and his French counterpart have pledged to step up joint efforts to tackle cross-Channel people smuggling, as Labour accused the Tories of whipping up concern about the issue.

Six Iranian men were found on a beach near Deal in Kent on Sunday morning with a small boat, the Home Office confirmed, bringing the number who have made the perilous crossing since Christmas Day to almost 100.

They were handed over to be processed by immigration officers after receiving a medical assessment, the Home Office said.

Javid flew back early from a family holiday in South Africa to take direct control of the situation, which the government declared a major incident on Friday, although Home Office sources said there was no clear evidence of a sudden sharp increase in the number of arrivals via the Channel.

Javid and the French interior minister, Christophe Castaner, are expected to launch a joint action plan later this week. It will include more patrols in the area, enhanced intelligence-sharing aimed at breaking up the gangs involved, and an information campaign to raise awareness about the risks of the crossing.

The pair had what the Home Office said was a significant and productive phone call on Sunday, after which Castaner said they had agreed to “strengthen our actions to combat Channel crossings undertaken by certain irregular migrants on small boats, at peril of their lives”.

He told Javid that French authorities had dismantled a people-smuggling gang operating in the area on 19 December.

Javid will chair a meeting on Monday that will bring together senior officials from the Border Force, the National Crime Agency and other authorities.