Migration Crisis: Priti Patel set to send UK-bound migrant boats back to France

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has defied French officials, requesting the Border Force to look into turning away migrant boats that are bound for Britain

Priti Patel held crisis talks with her French counterpart Gerald Darmanin on Thursday with sources stating that Patel warned him “the British public expect to see results”. 

Earlier this year, the UK and France announced an agreement to more than double the number of police patrolling French beaches as part of a £54 million deal.

The discussion took place during a G7 interior ministers’ meeting at Lancaster House.

Those crisis talks came just days after Ms Patel is said to have told MPs she is prepared to withhold millions of pounds unless an improvement is made

It’s understood that UK Border Force personnel have been training for several months to understand how to approach the issue of sending some boats back to French waters using pushback tactics – and the force is in the final stages of this training.

The British Home Office has taken legal advice which has led them to believe that in some limited circumstances it would be safe and legal to do turnaround watercraft within existing international law.

It’s understood it would be up to individual boat captains to decide whether it would be safe to do so – and the boat would not capsize.

The French interior minister has rejected the idea

Following the meeting, a government source said: “The Home Secretary was clear with the French interior minister that the British public expect to see results.”

According to the Home Office, 785 migrants arrived in the UK on Monday after making the journey from France in small boats, with several young children and a baby among them.