UK signs France migrant deal in ‘human misery trade’ crackdown

1668412632The foreign secretary said he wanted Border Force staff to be ‘focused on the job in hand’, when questioned about whether staff strikes could impact the new deal agreed with France.James Cleverly told Sky News: ‘We all recognise that public servants are under pressure because of the economic situation we’re seeing right across the globe. And we absolutely recognise that.’But ultimately, there is a really important job to do. The Border Force officials play an important part of keeping our country safe. I would want them to be focused exclusively on that and they have to recognise that this is a very difficult economic situation right across the globe.’He said that the government would work with representative bodies to ‘encourage them to stay focused on the job in hand’.Emily Atkinson14 November 2022 07:571668411432More now from our political editor Andrew Woodcock on the signing of the migrant deal with France:Rishi Sunak today hailed a 72m euro (£63m) deal with Paris which will see UK officials joining operations in France for the first time to halt unauthorised Channel crossings.The prime minister said the agreement – finalised on Monday morning by home secretary Suella Braverman and her French counterpart Gerald Darmanin – would be ‘a foundation’ for more co-operation in coming months.Speaking to reporters travelling with him to the G20 summit in Indonesia, Mr Sunak said it was his ‘absolute priority’ to get a grip on the small boats issue, which had occupied more of his time since becoming PM last month than anything apart from the economy.UK Border Force officials to be embedded in French control rooms for first time Emily Atkinson14 November 2022 07:371668411312The government has signed a new deal with France as part of an historic crackdown on migrant crossings which will see a boost to beach patrols and British staff based in French control rooms for the first time.Emily Atkinson14 November 2022 07:351668410930Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said the government must ‘get a grip on the international trade in human misery’ ahead of the signing of a deal with France over the number of migrants crossing the Channel.He said international governments must target ‘people traffikers who are putting lives at risk by facilitating the illegal crossing of migrants into the UK and around the world.Mr Cleverly added: ‘We do need to work with our international partners, including France and including the countries from which these people come, to break the business model of these people traffickers and to prevent these illegal crossing into the UK.’Currently, about 200 gendarmes and volunteer officers patrol the French beaches, but this number is set to significantly increase once the deal comes into action, reports say.The agreement could also see the two countries using live intelligence to track migrants’ movements across the Channel using the UK Border Force’s vessels, drones and satellite surveillance.Emily Atkinson14 November 2022 07:281668409242A leading trade union is giving a message to the Prime Minister today that strikes may be the only option to save the NHS.As growing numbers of health workers vote on industrial action, Unite will launch an advertising campaign across the country calling on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to use this week’s autumn statement to avert a funding crisis ‘engulfing’ the NHS.Read the full story here:A growing number of health workers are voting on industrial action over pay.Maroosha Muzaffar14 November 2022 07:001668409154Jeremy Hunt has said that he accepts ‘the picture that the NHS is on the brink of collapse’ but said that the service will have to play its part in helping the economy recover.Mr Hunt said that there were ‘massive pressures in the NHS … with doctors, nurses on the frontline frankly under unbearable pressure’. He added that ‘we need to do everything we can to find efficiencies’.He added: ‘It’s also true there is a lot of money going into the NHS.’Maroosha Muzaffar14 November 2022 06:591668408342Jeremy Hunt is expected to admit that there will be an overspending of $1bn or so in each of the next three years, BBC reported.Spending is currently set at 0.5 per cent of the national income. But the report said that the government is now all set to breach its cap on foreign aid spending because much of the budget is being used to pay for asylum seekers in the UK.The Treasury has also admitted that there were ‘significant pressures’ on the country’s aid budgets.Maroosha Muzaffar14 November 2022 06:451668407515Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak will meet for the first time on Wednesday during the G20 summit as US diplomats pressure the UK into reaching a deal over the Northern Ireland protocol.Mr Biden has also indicated that he might visit Northern Ireland on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement next spring. Last week, Mr Sunak met with the Irish prime minister Michael Martin and said that he wanted to deepen ties between the UK and Ireland after a ‘very positive’ first face-to-face meeting.The government also announced that elections for the Northern Ireland Stormont assembly could be delayed until April to give talks between the UK and the EU on the controversial Brexit trade arrangements a chance.Maroosha Muzaffar14 November 2022 06:311668406582The Mayor of London is hosting an emergency summit on issues facing renters in the capital.The summit is expected to bring together private renters, charities, advocacy groups and politicians.The mayor’s office said the average advertised London rent has hit £2343 a month, which it says is more than double other parts of the country.Sadiq Khan said: ‘London’s private renters are facing a triple whammy with rising rents, bills, and the cost of household essentials putting a major strain on their finances.Read the full story here: The summit is expected to bring together private renters, charities, advocacy groups and politicians.Maroosha Muzaffar14 November 2022 06:161668405401The UK’s immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, has said that immigrants must be housed in ‘simple, functional’ spaces rather than ‘luxury’ rooms.Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Jenrick said that a ‘chronic shortage of acceptable accommodation’ for ‘record numbers’ of migrants has led to the government using expensive hotels, adding to the cost for taxpayers.’Human decency has to be accompanied by hard-headed common sense: illegal immigrants are not entitled to luxury hotels,’ he wrote.’Conditions in the UK are almost always better than in neighbouring countries, which helps explain why the UK is a destination of choice for economic migrants on the continent ‘asylum shopping’.’Maroosha Muzaffar14 November 2022 05:56