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Saturday, 08 August 2020_As migrant crossings across the English Channel continue to escalate, the Home Office has turned to the Ministry of Defense (MoD) for help to stem the tide.
The Home Office apparently wants the Royal Navy to intervene – possibly in the form of a “passive blockade” - with a view to deterring the crossings.
For its part, the MoD officially says it is "working hard" to identify how best to assist the government.
"We are assessing the requirement using the formal Military Aid to the Civilian Authorities process and are working hard to identify how we can most effectively assist," the MoD said in a statement.
However, privately the MoD is reportedly strongly opposed to any form of intervention. An unnamed MoD source also told the PA news agency that the idea of using the Royal Navy is "completely potty".
The MoD source claims such action would be "inappropriate and unnecessary" inasmuch as military resources should not be used to address "political failings".
The private row between the Home Office and the MoD is unfolding against a backdrop of steadily increasing crossings across the Channel by migrants assisted by sophisticated smuggling networks.
Yesterday (August 07) witnessed the largest number of crossings to date, with 235 people reportedly making the potentially dangerous crossing in 17 vessels. It has been reported that 23 of these are under-18s who have subsequently been taken into care.
The government’s inability to stop the crossings is a personal embarrassment for Home Secretary, Priti Patel, who only last month paid a highly publicized visit to Calais (France) where she reportedly secured an Anglo-French deal on immigration and border management.
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