26 November 2021 - Channel migrants: PM calls on France to take back people who make crossing
France cancels meeting with UK about migrant crossings over Boris Johnson's letter
Alix Culbertson (Sky News, 26/11/2021)
France has cancelled a meeting with the UK to discuss Channel crossings after Boris Johnson asked the French to take back migrants arriving in Britain.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin told Home Secretary Priti Patel "she was no longer welcome" at Sunday's European meeting on migrant issues after 27 people died making the crossing on Wednesday, a French government spokesman said.
‘That wouldn’t work’: MP for Calais suggests UK patrols on French border not solution to migrant crossings
Ashley Cowburn (The Independent, 25/11/2021)
The MP for Calais has suggested a British offer to provide police and border force for joint patrols along the coast of the Channel “wouldn’t work”, as he raised issues around sovereignty.
Pierre-Henri Dumont’s intervention comes after at least 27 people lost their lives attempting to make the treacherous journey across the English Chanel — the worst migrant tragedy in the region in recent history.
Channel migrants: PM calls on France to take back people who make crossing
Doug Faulkner (BBC, 26/11/2021)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called on France to agree to "take back" people who cross the Channel to the UK.
The PM said he had written to French President Emmanuel Macron setting out five steps to "move further and faster" to avoid a repeat of Wednesday's tragedy where 27 people died.
For Brexiters who dreamed of taking back control, France is too close for comfort
Rafael Behr (The Guardian, 23/11/2021)
Considering that the width of the Channel does not change, it is surprising how often British politicians seem surprised by the proximity of France.
Currently, Priti Patel is enraged by the volume of people making the crossing in small boats. Boris Johnson is frustrated by Patel’s inability to stop the traffic. Tory MPs who told constituents that Brexit had secured the nation’s perimeter are alarmed to find that their boast was premature.
Britain alone cannot deal with migrations that are launched from Calais. The home secretary and the prime minister tried blaming French authorities for slack policing, but then realised the folly of antagonising a government whose help they badly need.