Essex lorry deaths of 39 people 'should be a wake up call to Britain' over how it deals with migrants, MPs tell government

Foreign Affairs Select Committee wants closer relationship with EU to prevent migrants taking more dangerous routes with people smugglers
Shocking: The bodies of 39 migrants were found in the back of a lorry in Essex
PA
Jason Collie4 November 2019
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

The tragic deaths of 39 people found in the back of a lorry in Essex should be “wake up call for the Government” to rethink its approach to illegal migration, MPs have said today.

In a new report the Foreign Affairs Select Committee warned that a policy focused on closing borders will drive migrants to take more dangerous routes and push them into the hands of smugglers.

The committee said the human cost of so–called “irregular” migration made international partnerships, including with the EU, “essential”.

Committee chair Tom Tugendhat said until the UK left the EU it should return to the meetings where migration is discussed and plan the response to illegal migration together.

The Tonbridge and Malling MP added: “The case of 39 people found dead in a lorry in Essex shocked us all.

“The full story won’t be clear for some time but this tragedy is not alone.

“Today, hundreds of families across the world are losing loved ones who felt driven to take the fatal gamble to entrust their lives to smugglers.

“This case should serve as a wake–up call to the Foreign Office and to Government.

“The UK has been relatively isolated from the different migrant crises in recent years – but it’s wrong to assume that we are protected from their impact.

“The UK has a proud history of helping those fleeing conflict and persecution and cooperating with others to protect human rights.

“We should lead by example.”

The report, Responding to irregular migration: a diplomatic route, also raised concerns about deals to limit migration with countries such as Libya, Niger and Sudan as risking fuelling human rights abuses.

It warned that these deals could be used as leverage by partner governments such as Turkish President Erdogan’s recent threat to “reopen the gates”.

The committee said that although the Home Office leads on the UK response to irregular migration, this could lead to the “error of focusing on preventing migration to the exclusion of other goals such as preventing conflict and promoting stability and respect for fundamental human rights”.

It called for more effort to negotiate future close cooperation on migration policy with the EU and an immediate return of UK officials to EU–level meetings where irregular migration is discussed.

Other recommendations included the expansion of legal pathways to apply for asylum outside Europe and robust monitoring and safeguards to ensure UK funding to migration programmes in Libya was not contributing to human rights abuses.

Mr Tugendhat said that the committee’s inquiry had been cut short by the “uncertain nature of Parliamentary business” but it hoped to return to the issues in the future.

“Irregular migration” is defined by the International Organisation on Migration as the “movement of persons that takes place outside the laws, regulations, or international agreements governing the entry into or exit from the State of origin, transit or destination”.

A Government spokesman said: “Tackling the scourge of human trafficking at every stage of the migrant journey - overseas, at our borders and in the UK - is a major priority.

The UK does this by addressing irregular migration, from reducing push factors to migrate illegally – conflict, instability and poverty – to strengthening border security and counter-trafficking operations.

The UK Government and law enforcement agencies work extensively with European, global partners, key transit countries, and the nations of origin to stand up to the global criminal industry that perpetuates human suffering.”

Additional reporting by PA Media

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in