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London and Paris must act together in securing safe passage for migrants

But they are making a serious mistake. Johnson is under domestic pressure because of his failure to respond to mounting accusations of sleaze and corruption against his own Conservative government. And Macron is facing a rightwing-dominated presidential election next April in which it serves his own interests in sounding tough in relations with France’s closest ally on the other side of La Manche.
Tensions between London and Paris have risen to a new high in recent months. Brexit – the key to Johnson’s election victory in December 2019 – has been the source of much unease. The subsequent row over fishing rights has had a disproportionately negative effect. And the US deal with Australia (backed by the UK) over submarines that replaced a pricey French contract didn’t help either.
The issue of migration is particularly delicate in the UK on account of Brexit. One of the main rallying cries of the "Vote Leave" campaign in the 2016 referendum to depart from the EU had been for the UK to "take back control" over its own borders. The reason for the slogan was that before Brexit, the country's immigration laws had to be in line with EU legislation and allow for freedom of movement and work for EU citizens coming to the UK in exchange of allowing Brits to settle anywhere in the EU.
Another effect of Brexit was the UK’s departure from Europol, an EU-wide policing organisation that was involved in sharing intelligence about people smugglers and intercepting their communications.
Last Wednesday’s disaster was the deadliest since the Channel became a route for migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia, who have been using small boats to reach England from France since 2018. Seventeen men, seven women, including one who was pregnant, and three minors died when their inflatable boat lost air and took on water off the port of Calais last Wednesday.
With three times the number of migrants attempting to cross the Channel this year than last, Johnson and his Home Secretary, Priti Patel, have repeatedly promised to step up patrols and intelligence gathering. But the French authorities have criticised Britain's handling of the crisis, including so-called “push back tactics,” which see boats forcibly turned back to France. Paris has so far rejected UK calls for “boots on the ground” – British police stationed in northern France to cooperate with local forces.
According to the Macron government, 31,500 people attempted to leave for Britain since the start of the year and 7,800 people have been rescued at sea, figures which doubled since August. So far this year an estimated 25,700 people have made the dangerous 25-mile journey across the English Channel – the busiest sea-lane in the entire world - to Britain. Most are from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, as well as parts of sub-Saharan Africa such as Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan.
In Britain, Johnson's government is coming under intense pressure, including from its own supporters, to reduce the numbers. That explains why Johnson, having written to Macron, then posted the letter on Twitter, attracting fury from the Elysee and the disinviting of Patel from a meeting with her French counterpart Gerald Darmanin in Calais.
Patel, herself of Indian origin, is perceived to be xenophobic. She has described people fleeing their own war-ravaged or impoverished countries in search of a better life as “economic migrants”. But Darmanin also said that the British government should do more to make the UK “less attractive” to asylum seekers and France would not be held hostage to British politics – the same narrow-minded approach.
Johnson’s government is keen to revive an idea for joint British-French patrols on the coast of northern France, which has in the past been rejected by Paris. Another central issue is the British legal requirement that anyone seeking to claim asylum in the UK must be physically present in the country, creating an imperative to reach it but no safe means to do so.
That means that the concept of “safe passage” has become the key to change to allow migrants who want to seek asylum in the UK, so people do not have to turn to profit-seeking smugglers to avoid dying in the Channel, which is in danger of becoming a cemetery. Migration charities and experts have called on the Johnson government to change its approach and commit to an expansion of safe routes for men, women and children in desperate need of protection.
The Labour opposition rightly criticised both the UK and French governments, saying they are "engaging in a blame game while children drown off our coastline". Johnson and Macron should be ashamed of themselves, stop thinking solely about their political ambitions, and cooperate in finding a workable solution to dealing with this escalating and shameful crisis.

BY: IAN BLACK
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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