Tice: Brexit Britain ‘down pecking order’ of Biden’s priority list
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According to Le Journal du Dimanche, France has vetoed a decision by EU border agency Frontex to contract a British company for the managing of migrants crossings in the English Channel.The French newspaper claimed DEA Aviation, based at Retford Airport, Nottinghamshire, was to be granted the contract by Frontex but Emmanuel Macron’s government allegedly blocked the move because of Brexit .
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“Off the record, France has imposed an outright refusal on Frontex.”
A senior interior ministry official said: “We are waiting for Frontex to put into action resources from inside the European Union.”
The newspaper claimed the French government was furious over Frontex’s decision to choose a British company over Dutch and Austrian contenders.
Frontex and the French interior ministry said that discussions were continuing.
It comes as Britain agreed to pay an extra £54million for the Channel security effort.
Brexit news: Macron vetoed the EU’s decision to use a British company to patrol the Channel (Image: GETTY)
Brexit news: Priti Patel is urging France to do more to deal with Channel migrants (Image: GETTY) The extra funding is hoped to prevent further crossings in a year that has seen record numbers of small boat crossings.
More than 11,000 migrants have attempted the dangerous crossing this year.
A record 592 people attempted to make the crossing in only a single day last Thursday.
The UK Border Force is expecting this year’s total number of attempted crossings to exceed 22,000 – almost three times as many as last year.
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Trending Around 100 migrants have been rescued just off the coast of Calais in northern France while trying to cross the English Channel, said the local French maritime body on Saturday, without specifying from where those migrants had come.
French President Emmanuel Macron said this month that there was a risk a wave of migrants would sweep towards Europe due to the turmoil in Afghanistan after Taliban Islamists seized power in that country.
Last week, Home Secretary Priti Patel urged France to increase beach patrols in Northern France as she expects the numbers of immigrants attempting to cross the channel will increase after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban.
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Macron’s ‘new special relationship’ with US torn apart by Biden row Ms Patel wants France to go “over and above” funding provided by the UK to tackle the problem.
A Government source told The Times: “Both the UK and France must do everything within their power to reverse the appalling increase in small boats.
“We are taking rapid action here at home, with our new plan for immigration and the borders bill cutting down the pull factors but it’s important that France surge their efforts to prevent these dangerous crossings.”.
