Britain Won't Support Future Operations To Prevent Migrants Drowning In The Mediterranean

The Foreign Office’s decision not to help was met with outrage from charities and political commentators.













Migrants sit in a boat during a rescue operation by the Italian navy off the coast of the south of Sicily last November.


Handout / Reuters











According to The Telegraph:

Lady Anelay, who set out Britain's position in a recent House of Lords written answer, said search and rescue operations acted as "an unintended 'pull factor', encouraging more migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossing and thereby leading to more tragic and unnecessary deaths".


Since last October, the Italian navy has carried out a €9-million-a-month operation called Mare Nostrum ("our sea"), which has apparently saved the lives of 150,000 people. The project was started after a pair of tragedies near the island of Lampedusa that led to the deaths of over 500 people.

This operation is being replaced by a joint EU "border protection" scheme codenamed Triton to which Britain will only be sending one immigration officer to gather intelligence.





















Migrants in a boat during a rescue operation by Italian navy ship San Marco off the coast to the south of Sicily on 5 February 2014.


Handout / Reuters











In her written answer, Lady Anelay wrote:

The government believes the most effective way to prevent refugees and migrants attempting this dangerous crossing is to focus our attention on countries of origin and transit, as well as taking steps to fight the people smugglers who wilfully put lives at risk by packing migrants into unseaworthy boats.


And a statement later released by the Home Office said:

Ministers across Europe have expressed concerns that search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean … [are] encouraging people to make dangerous crossings in the expectation of rescue. This has led to more deaths as traffickers have exploited the situation using boats that are unfit to make the crossing.







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