Revealed: £30m navy patrols in Channel failed to deter small boats

Exclusive: Ministry of Defence still calculating cost of operation over nine months that saw crossings rocket

Lizzie Dearden
Home Affairs Editor
Sunday 19 March 2023 08:26 GMT
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<p>Royal Navy patrol ship ‘HMS Tyne’ on patrol in the Channel off the coast of Dover in April 2022</p>

Royal Navy patrol ship ‘HMS Tyne’ on patrol in the Channel off the coast of Dover in April 2022

The government spent at least £30m on Royal Navy patrols in the English Channel that failed to deter small boat crossings, The Independent can reveal.

Figures released under freedom of information laws show that Operation Isotrope, which ran between April last year and the end of January, has a “current recorded cost” of over £29.7m.

Ministers including former home secretary Priti Patel had claimed that naval patrols would act as a “deterrent” but crossings rocketed to record highs during the period.

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