France is refusing to turn back migrant boats on their way to Britain despite being paid £54million to tackle the spiralling crisis.
Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont revealed ships would not intercept the small vessels but would let them sail through.
He claimed it was not their job to prevent passage under maritime law and said they would only be approached if they asked for help.
A Tory MP said the Government is being ‘fobbed off’ by the French authorities over the migrant crisis in the Channel.
Former minister Tim Loughton said lawyers believe France could stop migrant boats on the water and take them back.
Meanwhile it emerged France will stump up just two officers per mile per day – 200 over 85 miles – to stop boats leaving the shore.
Critics claimed this was akin to about one policeman per mile between Boulogne and Dieppe because otherwise they would be working 24-hour shifts.
Elsewhere Home Secretary Priti Patel was blasted for allowing hotels to be used to house migrants.
Whole venues are being booked up for them in a blow to Britons looking to marry or go on a staycation.
A record-breaking number of people have crossed the Channel already this year, with at least 8,452 people having made the trip, passing the total for all of 2020.
France is refusing to turn back migrant boats on their way to Britain despite being paid £54million to tackle the spiralling crisis. Pictured: Yesterday
Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont (pictured) revealed ships would not intercept the small vessels but would let them sail through
The number of migrants crossing the Channel between 2019-21 has been increasing year-on-year. The graph above shows how many have crossed each month. The red line for 2021 soars above the lines for previous years, showing the monthly total is now at its highest ever
Mr Dumont said: ‘If they are small boats trying to cross the sea and [migrants] are not asking for help, we are not supposed to intervene.
‘It is not forbidden for people to be at sea. We have no legal basis to intervene when they are in French waters at sea.’
His claim is rooted in the French understanding of maritime law, which have gone down poorly which Tory MPs.
Former minister Tim Loughton said lawyers believe France could stop migrant boats on the water and take them back.
He also told the Home Affairs Committee Border Force could return them to France if they gained permission.
He said this was because the migrants had broken the law by paying money to gangs to get to Britain as well as illegal entry.
More migrants are intercepted in the Channel by Border Force and brought to Dover in Kent yesterday
Migrants from mostly Sudan were pictured paddling across the Channel 10 miles off the coast of France, ITV reported
Up to 30 migrants are brought ashore by Border Force officials this morning as the crisis in the Channel continues
Mr Loughton accused the Home Secretary of allowing France to ‘make a mockery’ of international law, obliging them to intercept boats and return them to French territory if they have launched from France.
He said: ‘Yesterday we had a French military naval vessel escorting one of the boats into British territorial waters, and then tried to hand over the occupants to a boat full of journalists.’
He added: ‘This is ridiculous and it makes a mockery of it, so just giving the French more money to carry on doing what they’re doing badly is not going to solve the problem.’
Mr Loughton said the Home Secretary was being ‘fobbed off with excuses’ by the French.
Director General of Border Force Paul Lincoln told the committee the number of French interceptions of small boats crossing the Channel had trebled in a year from more than 2,100 at the end of June last year to more than 6,000 for the same period this year.
Ms Patel said: ‘I have absolutely discussed directly with my French counterpart.’
She added: ‘We have absolutely been looking at what we can do at sea in terms of maritime tactics all within the legal framework, absolutely within the legal framework, of saving lives at sea and international maritime law, and the French are aware of that as well.
‘They absolutely know what their responsibilities are.’
The fallout comes after the government announced it will send France a further £54.2million to help stem the flow of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
The Home Office said the money would be spent on doubling the numbers of police patrolling France’s northern beaches, improving intelligence sharing and on new technology to target people smugglers.
Mr Loughton pointed out last year the Government sent France 31.4million euro (£27.1million) to tackle the issue.
He said: ‘Since that time, you now have a record number of boats which have come across the channel, and the number of interceptions by the French has actually fallen.’
Referring to the new £54 million sum, he asked: ‘Isn’t that throwing good money after bad?’
Ms Patel replied: ‘This is an evolving situation, the numbers of migrants attempting these crossings from France has increased considerably.’
She added: ‘Our counterparts in France, our operational partners as well as our operational partners in the UK which involves our intelligence partners, have seen complete change in modus operandi in terms of the crossings.’
Mr Patel said instead of the majority of migrants coming from Calais, there was now a ‘widespread dispersal’ of launches along the entire French coastline.
More migrants are intercepted in the Channel by Border Force and brought to Dover in Kent yesterday
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a border force boat following a small boat incident in the Channel yesterday
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a border force boat following a small boat incident in the Channel yesterday
To tackle this the French have deployed 200 officers to march along an 85-mile stretch of coast between Boulogne and Dieppe.
If they worked 24 hours a day, this works out at two policemen per mile – but critics say realistically it is only one.
Ms Patel was also slammed after it emerged whole hotels are being booked up to house migrants.
It means those looking to get married or take a holiday there could struggle to guarantee spaces.
The Home Office is tempting hoteliers with large wads of cash for rooms for months, according to the Sun.
A source told the newspaper: ‘You have to remember the industry has been devastated by Covid. There have been no paying guests for months.
‘For a lot of hotels, it’s a chance to make guaranteed money for weeks, if not months. You have to be brave not to take up that offer.’
At least five children including a crying toddler were among migrants brought ashore in Dover by Border Force yesterday.
Arrivals revealed they paid £3,000 for places on dinghies as cynical people-smuggling gangs take advantage of flat seas and clear skies.
Nearly 8,500 have made the crossing so far this year, according to official figures – compared to the record number of 8,410 in the whole of 2020.
The Home Office revealed 287 made the crossing in 12 boats on Tuesday.