Migrants Will Be Turned Back To France

‘Stopping crossings is absolute priority'

- Michael Knowles

BRITISH Border Force boats will be able to steer migrant dinghies back to France.

In a fresh crackdown on dangerous crossings of the Channel, officers will be able to begin turning around tiny, unseaworthy boats packed with people trying to reach the UK.

As migrants continued to arrive on the Kent coast yesterday in dinghies, Home Secretary Priti Patel confronted her French counterpart over falling detection rates in French waters.

She said “stopping crossings were an absolute priority for the British people”, adding that the “status quo was not working for either the UK or France”.

Boris Johnson also declared the crisis a “perennial problem” with Britain largely dependent on French action.

But in a bid to prevent more lives being risked in the crossings, Border Force commanders have now been instructed to try to intercept the boats at sea and steer them back to France. The Daily Express understands that Border Force chiefs have told ministers they will only be able to use the new tactics when the Channel waters are calm, as the manoeuvres will be too risky in choppy seas.

Officials believe the attempts to turn around boats, expected to start later this month, are legally safe as they comply with international maritime regulations.

Vessel commanders will be given the powers to make the final decision on whether it is safe to intercept and steer boats back to French waters.