Suella Braverman urged to ‘rise up’ to France and demand reimbursement after studies Channel interceptions are falling

Suella Braverman has been urged to “stand up” to France as studies emerged the nation is intercepting fewer migrants within the Channel regardless of a £480m funding deal.

The name from Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis got here as The Telegraph claimed simply 45.2% of migrants have been stopped by French patrols since January, down from 45.8% in the identical interval final yr.

This is regardless of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreeing a £480m Anglo-French deal in March as a part of his pledge to “stop the boats”, far past the £54m the UK paid France for help within the Channel in 2021.

In an interview with Sky News, Mr Gullis mentioned the federal government should “make clear that we will demand a certain level of payment back” if the scenario within the Channel doesn’t enhance.

He additionally urged the Home Office to contemplate “taking people back to France ourselves if we are picking people up in French territorial waters”.

“If the French don’t like it, then that’s tough on them,” the MP for Stoke-on-Trent North mentioned.

Mr Gullis added that Home Secretary Suella Braverman and immigration minister Robert Jenrick ought to stand “side-by-side, united in message and in voice” and “stand up” for the British public.

They ought to “say to their French counterparts: ‘This is not good enough,'” he mentioned.

“They may ruffle some feathers but… we can’t allow to be taken for a ride.”

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The new knowledge, from the Hauts-de-France prefecture by way of The Telegraph, particulars how the variety of migrants crossing the Channel has fallen by 18% within the final yr.

However, the variety of migrants stopped on French seashores additionally fell – from 17,032 final yr to 13,759 up to now this yr – which suggests the interception price has dropped barely.

Natalie Elphickie, the Tory MP for Dover, instructed Sky News that it is a “dismal record” contemplating the sum the UK pays France.

She mentioned: “Everyone understands that France has been suffering from internal disorder. That’s why the French authorities should agree to joint patrols – so when they are overstretched and cannot cope, we can make sure that the border is manned.

“It’s important to remember that stopping the boats – and the brazen criminality that goes with it – is in the interests of both the UK and France. That’s why we all need to work together to bring this crisis to an end.”

Former minister Tim Loughton, a member of the Home Affairs Committee, agreed the figures are “very disappointing”.

He mentioned: “We need an immediate value for money assessment of exactly what the British taxpayer is getting for their money.”

A spokesperson for the Home Office mentioned in an announcement: “The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.

“Our precedence is to cease the boats, and our Small Boats Operational Command is working alongside our French companions and different companies to disrupt the folks smugglers.

“The government is going even further through our Illegal Migration Act which will mean that people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.”