Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom had appealed to France to give its consent concerning the taking back of people who pass through via the English Channel to the UK.
The UK Premiere stated that he had written a letter to President Emmanuel Macron of France detailing five steps to act further and fast in order to elude a recurrence of Wednesday’s (November 24, 2021) disaster in which 27 people had died.
According to PM Johnson a returns agreement for those people who cross the English Channel would create an “immediate and significant impact”.
Previously, a government source had revealed that the UK and France had conducted positive discussions.
The incident on Wednesday, had on record noted the biggest loss of human lives by drowning in the English Channel, which involved 17 men, seven women (one of whom were pregnant) along with three children.
Relatively, the five steps was presented by PM Boris Johnson on a tweet which includes:
- Joint patrols to prevent more boats from leaving French beaches.
- Deploying more advanced technology, such as sensors and radars.
- Reciprocal maritime patrols in each other’s territorial waters and airborne surveillance.
- Intensifying the work of the country’s joint intelligence cell.
- Immediate work on a bilateral returns agreement with France, alongside talks to establish a EU-UK returns agreement.
Moreover, the UK PM had stated that an agreement with France to reclaim migrants who pass through the dangerous route of the English Chunnel sea would produce a fast and notable effect.