Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor, visited Dover on Sunday, August 2, where he met Home Office staff at the HM Coastguard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. He said small boat crossings are down significantly compared with the same time last year, but insisted he is not “complacent” on the issue.
Relentless approach
“Clearly, progress is being made, but we’re not complacent, and it’s why I am here,” Mr Burnham said. “It’s why I’ve come down on Sunday to see the team to listen to what they think needs to be done, what further can be done.”
He added: “So we’re just going to be relentless. People want to see this issue addressed. I heard that on the doorsteps in Makerfield, but we also need to build a system that offers safe routes for people as well, because that also takes away the selling point of the gangs.
“So on every level we’ve got to cover this … crucially increasing the enforcement activity.”
Changing the tone
Asked if he wanted to change the tone of the debate, he said: “We have to deal with the issue rather than play politics with the issue. Just deal with it head on, grip it, and then make the changes that will bring that reassurance to the public.
“The public don’t like the idea that the border looks like it’s not controlled. We need to bring back that control, but also we need to offer support for people who genuinely need it.
“It’s about changing the whole approach, and slowly but surely we are putting in place those building blocks of a very different approach to this issue. It’s working, but there’s more to be done.”
Ceuta border crisis
The Prime Minister also said he had exchanged messages with Spanish leader Pedro Sanchez after around 60,000 migrants breached the border of Spain’s territory Ceuta in north Africa.
He said: “I’ve exchanged messages with the Spanish Prime Minister, and the news from Spain is that around 98% of the people who came into Spanish territory last week have now been returned to Morocco, and there’s an agreement between Spain and Morocco to that effect.
“So that substantially deals with the immediate issue. But of course there’s a broader issue about the Schengen area and our relationship with with it, and of course, I would want to be in regular dialogue with the EU on those issues.”
Asked if he would like to be at the table for upcoming emergency EU talks on the situation in Ceuta, he said: “It’s a matter for the EU as to whether or not, but our team certainly will be feeding in to those discussions.”
