SAJID Javid faces a fresh storm over the Channel migrant crisis after it emerged the Border Force is still waiting for the patrol boat promised last year. The Home Secretary said the Cutter HMC Protector would be protecting Britain’s waters by the beginning of February. But six weeks after he made the pledge, the boat has still not arrived. Charlie Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover, said it is “urgently needed” to tackle the crisis. Ten suspected migrants were picked up off the coast of Dover on Thursday morning after their dinghies were spotted in the waters. Mr Elphicke told The Sun: “This Cutter is needed urgently to take control of our waters.” He warned that locals are fed-up at the stream of migrants washing up one their shores. And he warned that people will end up dying making the perilous journey unless the authorities get a grip on the crisis. He stormed: “We need it back in the English Channel to provide a powerful deterrent to the people … [Read more...] about Sajid Javid faces fresh storm over Channel migrant crisis as Border Force still has no patrol boat
Europe migrant crisis
Inside Europe 10 Years of Turmoil: What was the 2015 migrant crisis and how did it affect the EU?
THIS week’s episode of Inside Europe: 10 Years of Turmoil looks at the 2015 migrant crisis and how it affected the EU. The documentary is the inside story of how European leaders fought over how to deal with the hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants coming in to the continent. What is Inside Europe: 10 Years of Turmoil about? The three part series charts a decade of turbulence faced by the European Union which faces an uncertain future. Episode one was about how ex-Prime Minister David Cameron promised a referendum, and his attempts to strike a new deal on issues such as immigration in Brussels in order to win it. Episode two tells how the Greek financial crisis threatened to spread and destroy not just the Euro, but the world economy. And how the medicine prescribed by the EU paved the way for populism - of both right and left. The third episode explained how the arrival of refugees and migrants divided European leaders and left the EU hanging in the balance. What time … [Read more...] about Inside Europe 10 Years of Turmoil: What was the 2015 migrant crisis and how did it affect the EU?
Carpenters in Sicily craft crosses to highlight ongoing migrant crisis
"I remember two boats attempted to enter the port that day: One made it, the other sank. More than 100 people, mostly from Somalia and Eritrea, lost their lives," Tuccio said, his voice breaking with emotion. "What struck me the most was returning home and hearing no news reports even just mentioning the tragedy." Over the past several years, Lampedusa, with a population of 6,500, has earned the nickname of "door to Europe" as it has become both a major human smugglers' hub and Italy's first port for migrants rescued at sea. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 2,000 people died while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2018. Tuccio's experience that day prompted him to think of ways he could help bring attention to the human tragedy affecting his native island. While taking a walk on a local beach that afternoon, he noted two colorful pieces of wood, positioned in a strange way, recalling the shape of a cross. He quickly realized those … [Read more...] about Carpenters in Sicily craft crosses to highlight ongoing migrant crisis
Royal Navy backup arrives in Channel to help solve migrant crisis – at a cost of £1million
SAJID Javid faces a £1MILLION bill after asking to borrow a Royal Navy warship to patrol the Channel for migrants. The 1,700 tonne HMS Mersey made its way into position today following the Home Secretary’s desperate plea for help. And sources claimed Whitehall officials have discussed using the warship to help save lives in the busy shipping lane until “the end of February” at an eye-watering cost of £20,000 a day. They claimed it could take this long for two Border Force ‘cutters’ to be redeployed from the Mediterranean. Stephen Doughty, a leading Labour MP on the Home Affairs Select Committee, told The Sun: “This looks like yet another Home Office farce, with the Home Secretary chasing cheap headlines first – then thinking about the bill later.” Meg Hillier – the Labour head of the Public Accounts Committee – branded it an “incredibly expensive sledgehammer to crack a nut”. And she told the Evening … [Read more...] about Royal Navy backup arrives in Channel to help solve migrant crisis – at a cost of £1million
Border Force ships patrol UK coast as Navy is sent in to solve Channel migrant crisis
BORDER Force patrols restarted today as the Government scrambles to solve the Channel migrant crisis. A cutter was seen off the coast of Dover this morning as Sajid Javid requested additional help from the Royal Navy. A military ship is set to start work on the coast as soon as today after the Ministry of Defence agreed to release it. But now the MoD and Home Office are rowing over who should pay for the Navy's intervention. Mr Javid wrote to Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson yesterday after visiting Dover to see what the Border Force is doing. More than 400 migrants have made the perilous journey across the Channel in small dinghies since October. The Home Secretary has ordered two more ships to return from the Mediterranean to help deter the dangerous crossings. But he was also forced to request the use of HMS Mersey, a Navy patrol ship, to boost Britain's coastal defences. Mr Williamson agreed but now the two mean are at loggerheads over which department should foot the … [Read more...] about Border Force ships patrol UK coast as Navy is sent in to solve Channel migrant crisis