LONDON - Dozens more migrants have made it to the UK in small boats this morning, as calls grow for the Government to broker an agreement with France to tackle the crossings. Ministers under pressure to act over record numbers of the perilous crossings were said to be considering using Royal Navy and Border Force vessels to block them. Defence chiefs today confirmed they are considering a formal request from the Home Office to support UK Border Force in the Dover Straits, where migrants have been attempting to enter the UK. In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said: ‘We are assessing the requirement using the formal Military Aid to the Civilian Authorities process and are working hard to identify how we can most effectively assist. As ever the MoD will do all it can to support HMG requirements.’
Home Secretary Priti Patel, who previously vowed to crack down on migrants crossing to the UK, was said to have been ‘furious’ following Thursday’s record number entering. She vowed to make the route used by asylum seekers ‘unviable’ but conceded there are ‘legislative, legal and operational barriers’ to stopping the boats.(FA)