If Liz Truss is elected prime minister, the Royal Navy would “definitely” keep patrolling the English Channel, she said yesterday.
The front-runner for the Tory presidential nomination said that stopping the migrant problem is a “absolute priority” and that she is ready to use “any weapon” to stop people traffickers from smuggling migrants into the UK in tiny boats.
However, he emphasised that the Ministry of Defence plays a “important” part in the operation. Her competitor Rishi Sunak did not make the same guarantee.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 20,000 migrants have entered from northern France. The number is now 75% greater than it was at the same time last year.
After hearing rumours that the Navy would be leaving its post in the Channel at the end of January, the leadership hopefuls made their remarks.
According to The Daily Telegraph, government sources had said that the Navy will turn over responsibility to the UK Border Force on January 31 “unless there are ministerial steps.”
The Government gave the MoD £50 million in April to handle the Channel situation as part of a programme called Operation Isotrope. However, it is more probable now because of the candidates’ involvement that the MoD will be told to continue its job.
‘It is an essential imperative to make sure we deal with the problem of small boats and the horrible trade by human traffickers, and I will use every weapon at my disposal if I’m picked as prime minister,’ Miss Truss said during a visit to a distillery in Elgin, north-east Scotland.
When asked whether it meant the Navy would keep playing that role, she said, “Absolutely.”
According to a Sunak campaign source, “Rishi’s strategy will need military competence in order to secure control of our borders.” In order to coordinate the reaction at each stage of an illegal immigrant’s route, he will establish a taskforce, which will be considered in the Operation Isotrope review in January 2023.
It is known that officials think any hesitation on the part of the MoD to go through with the operation would send the incorrect message to people-trafficking groups.
The major objective of the scheme has been to prevent any small boats from arriving at UK ports alone so that they can be handled by authorities. However, some MPs have criticised the programme for serving as a “taxi service” for immigrants wanting to enter Britain.
In order to coordinate Border Force interceptions, the Navy has been operating a 260-foot offshore patrol vessel. Additionally, three rigid-hulled inflatable boats and six quick training boats are being used to follow migrant boats.
A Wildcat helicopter and Watchkeeper drones, which fly out of Lydd airfield in Kent and are outfitted with a variety of cutting-edge sensors, have also offered air assistance.
‘We are working across government to ensure the circumstances are prepared for defence to pass the duty back to the Home Office after the review [next January],’ a MoD spokeswoman said. Supporting training and competence development is included in this.