London (Parliament Politics Magzine) – Eight people perished overnight attempting to cross the Channel from France to England, French regional authorities have stated.
The French maritime prefecture expressed about 59 people were onboard the boat, which got into hardship off the coast of France, and 51 of them were rescued. An inquiry has been opened by the Boulogne-sur-Mer public prosecutor’s office. A 10-month-old infant was among those rushed to hospital with presumed hypothermia after the boat ran aground near Ambleteuse. All those who passed away were adult men.
What actions are UK Foreign Secretary Lammy taking against smuggling gangs?
Reacting to the reports, UK foreign secretary Lammy told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that the administration has been “discussing how we go after those gangs, in collaboration upstream with other European partners.
”Keir Starmer will be in Italy on Monday for discussions with the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, about her actions to tackle the problem
“and the outcome they have done, particularly, with Albania”.
Moreover, Lammy stated:
“They have a comprehensive agenda with Albania understanding that [the] Albania route, as well as the Channel and the southern Mediterranean, are routes which migrants use. So of course, because it has decreased the numbers, we are interested in talks with Italy about the schemes they have developed, not just with Albania.”
But in a sign of government uncertainty over the problem, a Home Office source indicated that Lammy’s claim of a likely third-party scheme was not government policy.
“It is not something we are working on,”
the source stated, adding that Italy’s goal to process asylum pleaders in Albania could not be seen as having declined the numbers because it was not fully functional yet.
How are Italy’s migrant camps in Albania progressing?
Italy, which welcomes the most migrant arrivals in the EU, extended the first of two planned camps in neighbouring Albania in August but has not yet shipped people there. People will start to arrive at the camps only once both are open and working. Starmer has said he was interested in the rollout of the procedure, under which Albania will receive asylum seekers on Italy’s behalf while their claims are processed.
