Chameleon Magazine

Watching Good Morning Britain, Richard Madeley and Charlotte Hawkins repeatedly argued that France would not take migrants back, suggesting that this made Reform UK’s proposal unworkable.

That raises an interesting question.

If it is acceptable for people to leave French beaches in small boats, bypass official border controls and arrive in Britain without first using legal entry routes, then why wouldn’t the same principle apply in reverse?

Could British holidaymakers simply launch a boat from the Kent coast, sail to France, ignore passport control, arrive on a French beach and spend a long weekend there?

Of course not.

The French authorities would be expected to intercept them, enforce their immigration laws and require them to enter through the proper legal channels.

Nobody would seriously argue that France should simply wave them through because they had reached the shore.

So why should Britain be expected to operate differently?

If France has the right to enforce its borders and require lawful entry, then Britain has every right to expect its own borders to be respected as well.

If Britain intercepts a dangerous crossing in order to save lives, returning those rescued to the safe country they have just left is not the same as abandoning them. It is an argument for enforcing immigration law while preventing a potentially fatal journey.

That is the question Richard Madeley and Charlotte Hawkins never really addressed.

If one rule applies to France, why shouldn’t the same rule apply to Britain?