Britain’s Border Force has asked the Royal Navy to help defend the English Channel from people smugglers, in a move that could see military vessels patrolling the coastline.
Officials at the agency appealed to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) last week, asking what vessels would be available to beef up the protection of Britain’s maritime border in a desperate attempt to deter more speedboats, yachts and fishing boats laden with migrants embarking from northern France, Holland and Belgium.
The plea came after The Sunday Times revealed last week that the Border Force had only three vessels to patrol 7,700 miles of coastline. The disclosure provoked furious exchanges in the EU referendum campaign as supporters of Brexit accused David Cameron of losing control of immigration. Immigration
