British taxpayers are to cough up £1 million for a new deal helping Libya stop migrants from crossing the Mediterranean. The new pioneering deal is the latest scheme as the Government continues its hope of stopping small boat crossings into Britain.
Immigration minister Michael Tomlinson has revealed that the scheme will also involve repatriating the illegal migrants to their home countries, arguing that voluntary returns are a “fundamental tool” in driving down crossings.
Nearly 40,000 migrants reached Europe last year from Libya, accounting for more than a quarter of the 150,000 Mediterranean crossings in 2023.
Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Tomlinson said the voluntary returns “are one of the most fundamental and important tools at our disposal for driving down migration numbers globally”.
“Tackling the global migration crisis and smashing the evil gangs who drive it are shared challenges that must be met with a shared response.
“The work I have seen first hand here in Libya and across North Africa is absolutely critical, but we know there is more that must be done.
“The funding and support we are providing will mean Libya is better equipped to stop people risking their lives to reach Europe. It also demonstrates our commitment to crack down on people smugglers operating not just in the English Channel, but across the whole world.”
A similar “upstream” deal with Turkey has already been agreed, with £3 million being put towards a new Turkish police effort to cut off the supply of boats and improve intelligence sharing between the Eurasian country and Britain.
Turkey is now the source of up to 90 percent of small boats crossing the Channel, and France’s ongoing failure to properly police their beaches means the Government must look further upstream to prevent crossings.
The new deal with Libya is on top of similar bilateral agreements with Belgium, Bulgaria and Serbia aimed at tackling organised crime linked to illegal migration.
Mr Tomlinson boasts that last year Britain removed almost 20,000 people from the UK using voluntary returns agreements, nearly twice the number removed in 2022.
He argued: “By bolstering these programmes in countries like Libya, we can have a significant impact on stopping the record numbers of people headed towards our continent”.
“We have already seen evidence that this works. Similar assistance provided to Tunisia allowed them to return thousands of migrants to their home countries last year.”
However he warns that the timing has “never been more critical” as arrivals into Europe from North Africa reach an all-time high.
The Home Office minister promises “a genuine will” by all sides to get to grips with the “growing global crisis”.
So far the UK Government has handed over £140 million to the Rwanda Government despite having failed to deport any migrants to the African country.
Mr Sunak has pledged at least £370 million towards the scheme over five years.
