THE French coastguard handed a flood of migrants lifejackets after they raced across a beach to get on an overcrowded dinghy.
The group of migrants sprinted to get on an inflatable dinghy to leave the coast of northern France in an attempt to cross the Channel.
PALife jackets are transferred to a small boat carrying migrants as it is intercepted by the French authorities as it leaves Gravelines[/caption]
PAMigrants on board an inflatable boat are handed lifejackets by the French authorities as they leave from Gravelines[/caption]
PAMigrants run across the beach in Gravelines, France, in a bid to board a small boat[/caption]
PAAround 40 people, believed to be about half of the full group that scrambled over the sands, left the coast of France[/caption]
It comes after a new migrant deal was agreed between the UK and France in a bid to tackle the small boats crisis.
The migrants were pictured trying to board the dinghy on the beach of Petit-Fort-Philippe in Gravelines, near Calais, France.
Around 40 people, believed to be about half of the full group that scrambled over the sands, left the coast of France.
French authorities in an inflatable boat out at sea approached the overcrowded dinghy, passing those on board lifejackets.
No police were seen on the beach when the groups of people came out of the sand dunes and attempted to board the black inflatable boat.
It comes after a new ‘one-in-one-out’ migrant deal was agreed with the country.
But France will be able to choose which migrants to take back – prompting fears that the UK will be stuck with dangerous criminals.
The details of each migrant selected for return will be given to France, allowing it to reject those with a criminal record or deemed a security risk.
Both France and the UK will have a veto over which of the small boat migrants they take in.
Britain will take into account if the migrants have a connection to the country and if they have lived here before.
Revealed in the Plan:
Migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order
A one-in, one-out system will operate with migrants sent back to France in exchange for asylum seekers
The plan is merely a pilot scheme – which could be canned if it doesn’t work
Only 50 a week will be sent packing – a fraction of the thousands crossing into the UK
There may be an uptick in migrants stowing away in cars and lorries, or taking more dangerous routes into the country.
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron confirmed a one-in-one-out deal will return small boat migrants to France – but only 50 a week will be sent packing.
The PM hailed the “groundbreaking” returns’ scheme as “aggressive” – but admitted it was merely a pilot plan that would deal with just a fraction of the migrants trying to cross the Channel every day.
EPAA picture taken with a drone shows small boats, which were used by migrants crossing the English Channel, stored at a UK Home Office facility[/caption]
EPAThis year alone more than 21,117 migrants have crossed the Channel[/caption]
In a joint press conference with the French President, Sir Keir confirmed that in exchange for sending unlawful migrants back, the UK will accept asylum seekers from Calais who have “legitimate claims” and family in Britain.
Only those who haven’t tried to enter the country illegally before will be eligible for the scheme, which will come into force “in weeks”.
The PM hailed the plan as “hard-headed, aggressive action” and boasted that “previous governments tried and failed to secure results like this”.
But the agreement is the equivalent of just 2,600 returns annually (50 a week), compared with the 44,000 who have arrived since Labour took power a year ago.
And this year alone more than 21,117 migrants have crossed the Channel – a 56 per cent rise on the same period in 2024.
But Sir Keir admitted the new deal won’t necessarily end the crisis, saying: “There is no silver bullet here”.
And it was revealed the plan could descend into a legal wrangle – with “returned” migrants able to launch lengthy battles through the courts.
It means the system could get bogged down with ongoing legal cases – and the whole plan thwarted in the same way that Rwanda flights were grounded by lefty lawyers.
Shutterstock EditorialKeir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron announcing the one-in-one-out deal[/caption]
PAThe migrants were pictured trying to board the dinghy on the beach of Petit-Fort-Philippe in Gravelines, near Calais, France[/caption]
PAMigrants run across the beach in Gravelines[/caption]
PAThe group of migrants raced to get on an inflatable dinghy to leave the coast of northern France in an attempt to cross the Channel[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
