Pushing back migrants at sea: tension between London and Paris

The British government’s new migratory tactics anger Paris.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has given the border police the green light to use methods to force boats to turn around before they reach the English coast. denounced on the other side of the Channel.

France will not accept “any practice contrary to the law of the sea, nor any financial blackmail” from the British government, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin warned on Thursday.

“At sea, the safeguard of human life takes precedence over considerations of nationality, status and migration policy“he recalled in a letter addressed earlier to London.”This could have a negative impact on our cooperation“, he even warned.

The United Kingdom intends to toughen its migration policy as illegal Channel crossings increase. Since the start of the year, they have concerned more than 13,000 migrants, including more than 1,000 since the start of the week.

“This kind of strategy appeals to right-wing voters here, but savvy people are more skeptical. After all, you cannot turn a boat that might capsize during this process and this certainly applies to a majority of small boats, which are used by migrants. In addition, to return a boat to French waters, the consent of the French is required. This appears to be a draconian method, which the UK Home Office could rarely, if ever, use.“, says our correspondent in London, Tadhg Enright.