Britain & France working on new plan to shut down illegal migration across Channel

London and Paris are working on a new plan to shut a Channel migration route from France, British immigration minister Chris Philp said on Tuesday. The minister was speaking to reporters at the British Embassy in Paris after holding talks with his French counterparts, Reuters said.

Hundreds of people, including some children, have been caught crossing to southern England from makeshift camps in northern France over the last week. Many were navigating one of the world’s busiest shipping routes in overloaded rubber dinghies.

Britain wants greater flexibility to return illegal migrants to France after they risk the journey across the English Channel in small boats, a junior health minister, Edward Argar, was quoted as saying on Tuesday.