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| Channel migrants: Sajid Javid returns to UK to deal with situation | Channel migrants: Sajid Javid returns to UK to deal with situation |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Home Secretary Sajid Javid is under increasing pressure to deal with the rising number of migrants crossing the Channel as he returns to the UK. | Home Secretary Sajid Javid is under increasing pressure to deal with the rising number of migrants crossing the Channel as he returns to the UK. |
| He has cut short his family Christmas break, but insisted there was "no one easy answer" as what he called a "major incident" unfolds off the south coast. | He has cut short his family Christmas break, but insisted there was "no one easy answer" as what he called a "major incident" unfolds off the south coast. |
| Labour said the government had "failed to get a grip" and one Tory MP said there had been a "lack of leadership". | Labour said the government had "failed to get a grip" and one Tory MP said there had been a "lack of leadership". |
| More than 220 people have attempted the crossing in small boats since November. | More than 220 people have attempted the crossing in small boats since November. |
| 'Grave concern' | 'Grave concern' |
| Mr Javid is arriving back home on Sunday and immigration minister Caroline Nokes said he would be at his desk on New Year's Eve, adding he was "taking control of the situation" and that she had been "in regular contact" with him. | Mr Javid is arriving back home on Sunday and immigration minister Caroline Nokes said he would be at his desk on New Year's Eve, adding he was "taking control of the situation" and that she had been "in regular contact" with him. |
| He said it was of "grave concern" that people have been attempting to make the dangerous journey, the most recent being 12 men who were detained off the coast of Dover on Friday. | He said it was of "grave concern" that people have been attempting to make the dangerous journey, the most recent being 12 men who were detained off the coast of Dover on Friday. |
| Many of the migrants are Iranian or Syrian. A BBC South East investigation last month found that people smugglers were telling migrants they must enter before "the borders shut properly" after Brexit. | |
| One man from Afghanistan told the BBC that "there is a rush" and "everyone is talking about it, saying we need to get in quick in case the security gets tighter". | |
| Some MPs have called for more vessels to be deployed in the Channel, but Mr Javid said it was "vital we strike a balance between protecting [migrants] and protecting our borders". | Some MPs have called for more vessels to be deployed in the Channel, but Mr Javid said it was "vital we strike a balance between protecting [migrants] and protecting our borders". |
| Only one of the Border Force's fleet of five cutters - specialist boats which the force describes as being capable of rescuing several migrant boats at the same time - is currently operational in the Dover Strait. | Only one of the Border Force's fleet of five cutters - specialist boats which the force describes as being capable of rescuing several migrant boats at the same time - is currently operational in the Dover Strait. |
| The home secretary said he wanted to avoid encouraging more people to take the risk of attempting the crossing and was keeping the number of cutters "under close review". | The home secretary said he wanted to avoid encouraging more people to take the risk of attempting the crossing and was keeping the number of cutters "under close review". |
| Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the armed forces were ready to offer help if needed, telling the Sunday Telegraph: "We have not had any requests as yet but if the Home Office is in need of armed forces support then our navy, air force and army stand ready to assist." | Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the armed forces were ready to offer help if needed, telling the Sunday Telegraph: "We have not had any requests as yet but if the Home Office is in need of armed forces support then our navy, air force and army stand ready to assist." |
| Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott, writing in the Sunday Mirror, said of Mr Javid: "He has still to explain exactly how the government plans to handle these mass criminal operations in British waters. | |
| "The Home Office's flawed strategy has been to focus on deterring refugees, thinking that the issues in the Mediterranean would never reach our shores. | "The Home Office's flawed strategy has been to focus on deterring refugees, thinking that the issues in the Mediterranean would never reach our shores. |
| "While the Tories wax lyrical about control of our borders and being tough on security, they cannot seem to get a grip on criminal smugglers operating on a few hundred miles of coastline, in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world." | "While the Tories wax lyrical about control of our borders and being tough on security, they cannot seem to get a grip on criminal smugglers operating on a few hundred miles of coastline, in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world." |
| 'Joint security zone' | |
| Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, said there was a risk of there being a tragedy in the Channel and that it was vital to work with French authorities. | |
| "I think we need to see more co-operation in the English Channel," he told BBC Breakfast. "Indeed, we should even think of making the English Channel a kind of joint security zone so we can find any migrants on the high seas and help them back to France." | |
| He said he wanted to work with France to find safe houses people are being trafficked to, as well as identify where the traffickers are getting their boats from and stop them setting off for England. | |
| "We've got to remember it's an important humanitarian thing because if we don't act and stop it now, sooner or later there's a great risk of a tragedy in the middle of the English Channel," he said. | |
| 'We are dealing with human beings' | 'We are dealing with human beings' |
| Rehman Chishti, Tory MP for Gillingham and Rainham, told the Sunday Telegraph there had been a "lack of leadership to get a grip on the issue", adding: "What we have got is unsatisfactory and somebody has to do something." | Rehman Chishti, Tory MP for Gillingham and Rainham, told the Sunday Telegraph there had been a "lack of leadership to get a grip on the issue", adding: "What we have got is unsatisfactory and somebody has to do something." |
| British and French authorities have both said the rise in crossings is the result of "organised criminality" and "mafia networks". | British and French authorities have both said the rise in crossings is the result of "organised criminality" and "mafia networks". |
| Mr Javid, who declared the situation a major incident on Friday, was due to talk to his French counterpart about the situation over the weekend. | Mr Javid, who declared the situation a major incident on Friday, was due to talk to his French counterpart about the situation over the weekend. |
| The Church of England has called for more compassion over the issue. The Right Rev Trevor Willmott, Bishop of Dover, told the Observer: "It is crucial that we all remember that we are dealing with human beings here. | |
| "Across the nation, we have been celebrating the season of hope and goodwill as we remember Christ's birth - let's not forget so soon that every person is precious." | "Across the nation, we have been celebrating the season of hope and goodwill as we remember Christ's birth - let's not forget so soon that every person is precious." |