France and UK need to do more on Channel migrant crisis, Cabinet minister admits

The French and British authorities both need to step up work to prevent migrants risking the dangerous English Channel crossing in small boats, a Cabinet minister said.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the partnership with the French needed to improve.

His comments came as efforts continued to move detainees out of the Manston migrant processing centre to ease the dangerous overcrowding at the Kent site.

Around 40,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman warning of an “invasion” on the south coast, comments which have been condemned by opponents.

Provisional Government figures to date show 39,913 people have arrived in the UK after making the journey.

No crossings were recorded by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Tuesday and 46 people arrived in one boat on Monday.

In October alone 6,912 people made the journey, with 1,065 arriving in a single day. This is the third highest monthly total this year, after 8,641 were recorded in August and 7,961 were recorded in September, PA news agency analysis of the figures show.

Mr Harper told Sky News: “I think both countries, Britain and France, could do more. What we need to do is work with the French, they do a lot already.

“We provide resources to help them and, of course, people will know our border controls in France are actually physically located in France, and we’ve always worked in close partnership with French authorities.

“Do we think they could do more? Yes. We could do more as well. It’s about improving that partnership.”

He said work was ongoing to get migrants from Manston quicker but said “it is reasonable to say it is not going to happen overnight”.

Military personnel were involved in efforts on Tuesday to help move migrants away from Manston.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the numbers at the site had “fallen substantially” on Tuesday, with more expected to be moved on Wednesday.

“Unless we receive an unexpectedly high number of migrants in small boats in the coming days, numbers will fall significantly this week,” he said.

“It’s imperative that the site returns a sustainable operating model and we are doing everything we can to ensure that happens swiftly.”

Sir Roger Gale, Tory MP for North Thanet which includes the site, welcomed the development having clashed with Ms Braverman about her handling of the chaos at Manston.

He praised Mr Jenrick for “rectifying the mistakes that have been made by others”, adding “this must never be allowed to happen again”.

It is unclear whether those moved from Manston will be taken to hotels or alternative accommodation.

Ms Braverman has been forced to deny ignoring legal advice telling her to procure more accommodation, while the Government’s efforts to secure hotel space have also faced challenges in the courts.

Sheila Oxtoby, chief executive of Great Yarmouth Borough Council which won a legal case against the Home Office, said the local authority objected to having decisions about the use of hotels in tourist areas “imposed” on it.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We have always, right from the beginning, offered to work with the Home Office to find the most suitable accommodation and the best solution for both the asylum seekers and the existing community – but that has largely fallen on deaf ears and our offer has not been taken up.”