Home Office to fly 24/7 surveillance plane over English Channel to catch migrant smugglers and France will help despite minister claiming UK ‘should thank’ him for ‘guarding the border’
- French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin spent two days in the UK this week
The Home Office and French government are to join forces to launch a surveillance plane which will fly over the English Channel 24/7 to catch people smugglers, despite a French minister telling reporters the UK should ‘thank’ them for guarding the border.
The move, designed to cut the overall numbers of migrants and vulnerable asylum seekers from crossing the Channel on small boats, is being seen as the ‘final piece in the puzzle’ to cut crossings, the Telegraph reported last night.
The news comes after the French Interior Minister told RFI on Thursday: ‘We are guarding the border for the British people. Therefore you would expect to receive thanks rather than complaints.’
The plane is said to be capable of flying in all weathers, meaning it will not be affected by conditions which affect drones currently employed in similar roles, which cannot be flown in heavy cloud cover.
It is hoped the plane will improve the ability of French and English authorities to prosecute people smugglers due to its capability to film crossings for evidence in potential legal action.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman and French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin meeting this week
It is hoped the plane will improve the ability of French and English authorities to prosecute people smugglers due to its capability to film small boat crossings for evidence in potential legal action
It will also improve authorities’ ability to track boats making the dangerous crossing.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman and French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin met on Thursday morning at the National Crime Agency.
The Interior Minister, who discussed immigration policy on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron, visited the UK for two days in his first official trip to London.
Speaking after the meeting, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: ‘The United Kingdom and France are the firmest of friends, and I am delighted to welcome Minister Darmanin to the UK.
‘Our cooperation goes from strength to strength, and we are firmly committed to working together in lockstep on our shared global challenges, including stopping the boats.’
But according to French media, Mr Darmanin criticised the UK for its complaints about French efforts to prevent crossings from taking place.
He said: ‘We are guarding the border for the British people. Therefore you would expect to receive thanks rather than complaints.
‘If people want to go to the UK, then they have their reasons. It is because there is no legal route for them to arrive in the UK that people take risks and use boats.’
The pair are understood to have discussed how the plane might be used in the Channel yesterday. It has reportedly already been signed off by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority and has completed successful test flights.
It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made major pledges to ‘stop the boats’ earlier this year.
The Interior Minister, who discussed immigration policy on behalf of the French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured), visited the UK for two days in his first official trip to London
In a speech this month, he claimed small boat crossings have reduced by 20 percent when compared to last year in the five months since he launched his plan to tackle people smugglers.
Mr Sunak said: ‘In the five months since I launched the plan, crossings are now down 20 per cent compared to last year. That’s right: crossings are down 20 per cent.
‘This is the first time since this problem began that arrivals between January and May have actually fallen compared to the year before.’
A Home Office spokesperson: ‘We are focused on stopping the boats and we will use all the technology available to us to ensure no stone is left unturned as we go after the criminals behind this illegal trade.
‘We are determined to stop abuse of the asylum system which is why we have introduced legislation which will ensure that those people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.’