Royal Navy To Deter Migrant Crossings
3 January 2019, 15:03 | Updated: 3 January 2019, 15:08
The request from the home secretary signals a further escalation of the UK's response and comes as two people are arrested.
It's understood the Home Secretary Sajid Javid has written to Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson requesting a Royal Navy vessel to patrol the English Channel to deter migrant crossings
Hundreds have tried to come to the UK illegally in the last 3 months - most have been discovered in small boats off the Kent coast
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey was "available and ready to be deployed.
A spokesperson said the armed forces "stand ready to provide additional capacity and expertise to assist the Home Office with the response to migrant crossings".
The request from Mr Javid signals a further escalation of the UK's response to the migrant situation after he announced the redeployment of two Border Force cutters from the Mediterranean earlier this week.
According to The Daily Telegraph, discussions are still ongoing about whether the Home Office or the Ministry or Defence should foot the £20,000-a-day bill for the cost of the Royal Navy vessel.
The home secretary has also reportedly requested dozens of sailors and aerial surveillance to put a stop to the crossings.
It comes after a British man and an Iranian national were detained on suspicion of helping migrants to cross the English Channel into the UK.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed the arrests in Manchester in a statement, saying: "NCA officers have tonight (2 January 2019) arrested a 33-year-old Iranian national and a 24-year-old British man in Manchester, on suspicion of arranging the illegal movement of migrants across the English Channel into the UK.
"As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this time."
