Britain is set to launch a major review of its £500million migrant deal with France in the wake of 12 migrant deaths while attempting to cross the Channel and Labour’s decision to axe the Rwanda deportation plan.
Yvette Cooper ordered a full assessment of the agreement amid fears UK taxpayers are not getting value for money.
The Home Secretary’s decision comes amid a raft of other measures aimed at cutting costs, including the decision to axe the Tories’ Rwanda plan, no longer use the Bibby Stockholm barge and scrap plans to use RAF Scampton as housing.
Under the current agreement made by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Britain is set to pay France £161million this year and £176million the next to aid French police in preventing small boat launches from the beach.
Included in the cost, would have been a new detention centre, although The Sun understands that construction of the site had not begun.
A Labour source told the publication: “We inherited all kinds of commitments from the Tories, including £700million for a completely ridiculous scheme in Rwanda.
“We’re looking at all sorts of projects and costs across Government.
“This includes the half a billion the last Government committed to spending in France.”
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Over 8,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since Labour came to power two months agoPAPlans to axe the deal also echo back to an election pledge made by Keir Starmer who said: “All the reports I’ve seen on that initiative show that it’s not proving effective, and I think that’s shown by the numbers that we’re seeing — record numbers.”
The comment comes after 12 migrants died while attempting to cross the Channel.
The small boat, believed to have been carrying up to 50 people, got into difficulty off Cap Gris-Nez, to the north of Le Portel, earlier this month.
Emergency services were deployed to the location at around 11.30am with French authorities declaring most of the dead were from Eritrea or African countries.
A pregnant woman and six children were among those who lost their lives in what is being described as the deadliest Channel-crossing tragedy of the year so far.
At least 12 migrants died attempting to cross the English Channel on Tuesday GETTYHome Secretary Yvette Cooper said of the deaths at the time: “What has happened off the coast at Le Portel is a horrifying and deeply tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the loved ones of all those who have lost their lives, and all those who have been seriously injured.
“I am in touch with my counterpart in France, Gerald Darmanin, and am being kept updated on the situation.
“We pay tribute to the French coastguard and emergency services who undoubtedly saved many lives, but sadly could not save everyone. We will await the results of the French investigation into how this particular incident unfolded.
“The gangs behind this appalling and callous trade in human lives have been cramming more and more people onto increasingly unseaworthy dinghies, and sending them out into the Channel even in very poor weather.
“They do not care about anything but the profits they make, and that is why – as well as mourning the awful loss of life – the work to dismantle these dangerous and criminal smuggler gangs and to strengthen border security is so vital and must proceed apace.”
Following the deaths, French interior minister Gerald Darmanin reportedly called for a UK-EU migration treaty to curb crossings in the wake of the tragedy.
However, Downing Street rejected this, with a spokesman saying: “We have no plans to be part of an EU scheme on asylum, but we will continue to work with European partners to shut down smuggling routes and smash those criminal gangs.”
Source Agencies
