Rough seas
Following yesterday’s visit to Dover, MP Natalie Elphicke said: “I was delighted to welcome the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak back to Dover to deliver an update on progress to tackle the small boats crisis.
“The Prime Minister specifically commented about the impact of the small boats crossings on our area, referencing my meetings with him and other Ministers to highlight pressures on local services and our community. I also met with the small boats operational commanders to discuss steps being taken to ensure boats don’t reach our beaches undetected.
“Too many boats are still making the dangerous crossing”
“It’s good news that overall numbers of arrivals are down 20% so far this year, and Albanian numbers 90% down.
“However, it’s early days and too many boats are still making the dangerous crossing and it is costing too much.
“The PM is showing that with grit and grip he can turn the small boats crisis around. But it’s going to be really tough unless more boats are stopped leaving French shores in the first place.
“President Macron needs to step up to do more to stop the boats and save lives, like the PM is doing.”