Ahead of the Home Secretary Priti Patel’s meeting today with the French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin over deterring migrants crossing the English Channel, Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Director, said:

“Without a change of policy Priti Patel’s meeting is a lost cause.

“The Home Secretary can ​keep on spending public money, but nothing is going to change unless she is prepared to change her failed and unworkable policies.

“People have every right to seek asylum in the UK, and they only make dangerous journeys and rely on smugglers because there are no safe alternatives made available to them.

“Instead of repeating this sorry cycle of abuse​ trying to deter and prevent people reaching UK shores, maybe for once the Home Office can take a more humane ​and responsible approach ​by ​enabling people to seek asylum here safely - if not, smugglers will continue to thrive.

“Sadly, there is no indication that the Home Office is prepared to change course and the Nationality and Borders Bill is set to make the situation profoundly worse.”