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The home secretary has said it was a “dreadful shock which was not a surprise” after 27 people died as they tried to cross the Channel last night.
Priti Patel said the deaths of the migrants was “a reminder of how vulnerable people are put at peril by criminal gangs” charging to send groups across the sea to the UK in small dinghies meant for far fewer occupants.
“There is no quick fix,” she added in a statement to the Commons.
Ms Patel said she has offered British police and Border Force to join patrols with the French but nothing has so far come of that.
The deaths of the people, which included a pregnant woman, trying to make the treacherous crossing to the UK has prompted a blame game on both sides of the Channel.
Both French and British politicians have said they need to co-operate but they cannot agree on how that happens.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Boris Johnson on Wednesday evening when the pair agreed to “keep all options on the table” to break up human trafficking gangs responsible for placing desperate people at risk in the world’s busiest shipping lane.
Moments before Ms Patel spoke in the Commons, Mr Macron said he was going to ask for extra help from the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and the European Commission “because all these men and these women don’t want to stay in France”.
“We tell them they’re obviously able to do so, and there are centres in Calais and Dunkirk where they can go, but we’re going to reinforce in fact saving them at sea,” he said.
He said a series of meetings will take place with Ms Patel “in the next hours, in the next days”.
Priti Patel said the deaths were not a surprise
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Source : skynews
