UK, France vow to fight human smuggling in English Channel

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – The UK and France vowed to fight human smuggling in the English Channel after four people died when a migrant boat capsized off southeastern England on Wednesday.

In a joint statement issued following the incident, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman and French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said both sides were engaged in "a coordinated response to this terrible tragedy, with UK and French actors working side by side."

They said the incident "is a stark reminder of the urgent need to destroy the business model of people-smugglers."

The UK and France have prevented over 30,000 crossings so far this year and they have arrested more than 500 people since 2020 with the help of other European partners, the joint statement said.

Braverman and Darmanin also stressed that London and Paris "recently agreed on a renewed bilateral framework to tackle illegal migration, with closer joint working and intelligence sharing."

They said in a Calais format meeting in Brussels last Thursday, the parties – the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands – decided to boost their police, border and judicial cooperation.

Wednesday’s migrant boat incident "underlines the importance of taking this forward together," the statement added.

A migrant boat capsized off the coast of Kent, England, leaving four dead among migrants. Forty-three others were saved after joint search and rescue efforts by British and French authorities in the English Channel.

There were more than 40 people onboard the vessel, according to media reports.

More than 40,000 people have crossed the British Channel by small boats in 2022, according to official figures.

In 2021, 27 migrants died after launching their journey from the French coast to England, in the worst disaster in the British Channel to date.