France accused of acting 'irresponsibly' for letting migrant dinghy continue to UK after five die onboard

24 April 2024, 06:28

France has been accused of "irresponsible behaviour" for letting migrants in a dinghy where five people had already died continue to the UK.

A seven-year-old girl was among the five people who died on the boat, which set off from Wimereux, near Boulogne, early on Tuesday morning.

The deaths, which also included a woman and three men, took place after a panic when the engine cut out. Some of the people who lost their lives are said to have been crushed to death.

French authorities took 48 of the people onboard back to the shore, but 58 refused to come and were allowed to continue their journey, escorted by a French ship.

British MPs criticised French officials for their actions.

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Tim Loughton, a member of the Home Affairs committee, said: “This is incredibly irresponsible behaviour by the French authorities on so many levels after another avoidable tragedy."

He added that "the whole boat and passengers" should have been "impounded as a potential crime scene with dead bodies on board".

Natalie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover, said: “It is irresponsible to allow people to set off in these dangerous, unsafe boats".

More than 6,000 migrants have already crossed the Channel this year, a 25 per cent increase compared with the same period last year.

The Home Secretary, James Cleverly, said: "These tragedies have to stop. I will not accept a status quo which costs so many lives.

"This Government is doing everything we can to end this trade, stop the boats and ultimately break the business model of the evil people smuggling gangs, so they no longer put lives at risk."

It comes just hours after Rishi Sunak's flagship Rwanda bill was passed in the House of Commons.

The Prime Minister said the deaths are "a reminder of why my plan it so important because there's a certain element of compassion about everything that we're doing.

The bill passed late on Monday night, following weeks of parliamentary deadlock between the Lords and Commons.

Speaking before the deaths along the Channel were reported, immigration minister Michael Tomlinson said the government is determined to stop the boats to prevent needless deaths in the Channel.

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Earlier on Monday, Mr Sunak said the first deportation flights to Rwanda will leave "in 10 to 12 weeks".

"No ifs, not buts, these flights are going to Rwanda," the prime minister said.He indicated that once the programme in up and running the planes there will be a "regular rhythm" of flights heading to Kigali.

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Mr Sunak said yesterday: "Enough is enough. No more prevarication, no more delay. Parliament will sit there tonight and vote no matter how late it goes. No ifs, no buts. These flights are going to Rwanda.

"Describing the plan as an 'indispensable deterrent so that we finally break the business model of the criminal gangs and save lives.

"Starting from the moment that the Bill passes, we will begin the process of removing those identified for the first flight. We have prepared for this moment."

However, Mr Tomlinson told LBC's Nick Ferrari on Tuesday morning that he thought legal challenges would be unavoidable.

"There are those who determined to ensure that this policy will not work," he said.

"There will be challenges, I think it’s inevitable. People are already talking about legal challenges, people are going to put every single stumbling block in our way to try to make this policy not work."