“Break business model”: Johnson calls for migrants to return to France

“Break through business model”
Johnson calls for migrants to return to France

It was less than 48 hours since the death of 27 people in the English Channel when British Prime Minister Johnson called for all migrants to be returned to France. This should spoil the business of smugglers. Meanwhile, the tense diplomatic situation with France has calmed down.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called for the orderly return of all migrants arriving in the UK via the English Channel to France. “I propose that we draw up a bilateral readmission agreement,” he said in a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron that was published on Twitter yesterday. The EU finally concluded such agreements with countries such as Belarus and Russia.

“This measure would take effect immediately and significantly reduce – if not stop – the number of crossings, saving lives by fundamentally breaking the business model of the criminal gangs,” added Johnson.

Again 70 people dare to cross the river

Macron and Johnson spoke to each other on Wednesday evening after at least 27 people were killed in an accident involving a refugee boat in the English Channel. Despite the accident, 70 migrants tried again on Thursday night to cross from France to Great Britain.

The increasing number of attempted illegal crossings has been causing tension between Paris and London for months. The British side accuses France of not doing enough to prevent the crossings. Johnson recently criticized the fact that Paris has so far refused to use British security forces in France, citing its own sovereignty. Macron warned Johnson again after the conversation on Wednesday evening “to refrain from exploiting a dramatic situation for political purposes”.

On Thursday, however, diplomatic tensions initially appeared to have subsided. Both London and Paris spoke out in favor of better cooperation at European level to curb smuggling activities.

According to the responsible French prefecture, 31,500 refugees have tried the dangerous crossing over the English Channel since the beginning of the year. Around 7,800 people were rescued from distress at sea. In total, at least 34 people have died or are missing while traveling across the English Channel this year.

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