It has been reported that UK Home Secretary has authorised Border Force to turn back boats carrying migrants at sea to prevent them reaching the UK.
A meeting took place between Priti Patel and her French counterpart on Wednesday but they failed to find any agreement.
The UKs plan to force boats back into French waters is opposed by French authorities who consider it to be dangerous. Under international maritime law, people at risk of losing their lives at sea must be rescued.
The UK turning round boats would risk having a negative impact on our co-operation
The government has said that it was use every available option to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.
It is currently unknown how border force officials will implement this new plan or how they will be able to safely turn boats around in the Channel. It is thought that UK Border Force powers will be severely restricted and they will only be able to turn around a small number of boats in limited circumstances.
However, the French have sent a letter to the UK stating that the French position on interception at sea was unchanged. The French have also said that the people smugglers have become more professional, even using decoy boats to divert the French efforts before releasing the migrants in a different boat.
