Re: Priti Patel - All Mouth And No Trousers!
Originally Posted by
shropshiregirl
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Swimmy, with respect, you keep cropping up with that same answer, but if it is so, why hasn't Priti done it? She must surely know how foolish she is being made to look by her ineptitude in dealing with the channel hoppers, plus being made to look a complete idiot by the French (which itself takes some doing!)
Yet, you never explain the reasoning WHY our government could do so but choose not to? Where did you learn that we could just return them from whence they came? and if so, why is Priti having meetings with her countpart (sigh!) trying to get them to agree to take them back if what you say is correct?
UK-French cooperation in this area has been formalised through a series of bilateral agreements, including the*Sangatte Protocol*in 1991 and the*Treaty of Le Touquet*in 2003. The latter allowed for France and the UK to carry out immigration controls in each other’s territories at sea ports.
In 2018 the UK and France agreed the*Sandhurst Treaty, in which the UK committed to spend €50 million to ‘improve security’ and ‘reduce illegal migration flows’ towards northern French ports, amongst other measures.
Responding to a written question, then Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes provided*further information:*
“As part of the Sandhurst Treaty, signed by the UK and France in January 2018, we have allocated £3.6 million to fund the development of the Dublin process to support transfers of eligible children to the UK (including training for those working with unaccompanied children, family tracing and targeted information campaigns).
“We are also funding access to the French asylum accommodation service, the provision of health services, psychological and legal support as well as the cost of transporting asylum seekers from reception centres to locations where their asylum claims are considered.”
A*joint action plan*was also agreed in January 2019 to specifically address the issue of small boat crossings. It included over £6 million investment in new security equipment, increased CCTV coverage of beaches and ports and a mutual commitment to conduct returns of migrants under international and domestic laws.
An ‘enhanced action plan’ was agreed on 15 October 2019. It aims to halve the number of migrants attempting the crossing from 300 in August to 150 during October, and ultimately for ‘attempts to cross the Channel in small boat to be an infrequent phenomenon by Spring 2020.’ The measures announced included: