Wednesday 17 August 2022 12:40 AM Liz Truss vows that Navy will not pull out of tackling dinghy crossings if she ... trends now
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Liz Truss said yesterday that the Royal Navy will 'absolutely' continue to patrol the Channel if she becomes prime minister.
The Tory leadership frontrunner said that tackling the migrant crisis is an 'absolute priority' and she is prepared to use 'every tool' to crack down on people traffickers illegally bringing people to the UK in small boats.
Her rival Rishi Sunak did not make the same commitment but stressed that the Ministry of Defence has an 'essential' role in the operation.
Tory leadership frontrunner Liz Truss said that tackling the migrant crisis is an 'absolute priority' and she is prepared to use 'every tool' to crack down on people traffickers illegally bringing people to the UK in small boats. Pictured: Liz Truss visits a Scottish distillery yesterday
Naval support: HMS Mersey begins a Channel patrol after leaving Portsmouth Harbour
More than 20,000 migrants have crossed from northern France since the start of the year. The figure is running at 75 per cent higher than at the same point last year.
The leadership candidates' comments come after reports that the Navy is due to pull out of its role in the Channel at the end of January.
Government sources had said the Navy would hand back control to the UK Border Force on January 31
