Sajid Javid was last night forced to abandon his family holiday at a luxury safari hideaway in South Africa’s Kruger National Park after a growing backlash over his handling of the migrant crisis.
The home secretary came under fire after he declared a “major incident” over the surge in Channel boat migrants
while he was staying at one of the most luxurious safari lodges in sub- Saharan Africa.
Another group, reportedly six Iranian men, were met by Border Agency staff having been spotted by residents on the beach at Kingsdown, Kent, at about 7.30am today, according to Sky News.
Javid, his wife and children were staying over Christmas at Dulini, a lodge that charges £840 per person per night. It offers guests private plunge pools and in-room massages to relax after game drives spotting leopards, lions and elephants by the water hole.
Last night he was on his way home after
bowing to pressure to take control of the escalating crisis. Caroline Nokes, the immigration minister, said he would be at his desk on New Year’s Eve.
Mr Javid addressed criticism of his slow response in a statement: “After a rise in activity over Christmas I immediately stepped this up — declaring a major incident and returning to the UK to drive our continued and enhance response.
“I continue to keep the number of Border Force cutters in the Channel under close review, but there is no one easy answer to this complex problem.”
The number of migrants saved in the Channel by British authorities and detained since Christmas Day has reached 94,
many of them Iranian and Syrian, although that figure is expected to rise with calm seas between Dover and Calais.
Only one of the Border Force’s fleet of five cutters — patrol boats capable of rescuing multiple vessels at once — has been deployed in the Strait of Dover to deal with the migrant crossings so far.
The operation appeared to descend into farce on Saturday afternoon as HMC Searcher sailed to Ramsgate, where it docked, leaving the world’s busiest sea route unpatrolled by a significant British vessel for at least six hours.
Responding to The Sunday Times review of marine traffic data, the Home Office said: “We do not comment on individual vessel movements.”
Friends say Javid took the decision to come home to avoid the humiliation of being told to return by Theresa May, after initially resisting pressure to leave his holiday paradise. The prime minister has been spending the weekend in her Maidenhead constituency.
It is not the first time Javid has been forced to cut short an ill-timed trip. He had faced calls to resign as business secretary in March 2016 when he was in Australia during the Tata Steel crisis in Port Talbot. He had taken his teenage daughter on the official visit and had planned to extend the trip with a holiday.
Last night Javid’s “disappearing act” was likened to TS Eliot’s Macavity, the Mystery Cat, as he was warned his latest gaffe would damage his leadership ambitions.
A Conservative MP told The Sunday Times: “He has got form for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and has turned into a real Macavity.
It clearly raises serious questions about whether he has the right kind of judgment and political antenna for the top job.”
A ministerial source said: “It’s perfectly legitimate for him to go away on holiday with his family. But it’s not the best look to then try and show you are getting to grips with a crisis when you are 6,000 miles away.”
Javid had been under pressure to return after politicians from all parties lined up to criticise his handling of the migrant crisis. Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, said: “Our coastguard have been doing their very best to manage this situation over the Christmas holidays while the home secretary is still nowhere to be seen.”
Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesman, accused Javid of “sleeping on the job” while a minister called on him to “get a grip on the situation”.
The Home Office confirmed last night that Javid will be at his desk tomorrow in London where he will lead a meeting with senior officials and agencies, including the Border Force and the National Crime Agency.
Bob Seely, the Tory MP for the Isle of Wight, said: “It’s important and right that Sajid is heading back to deal with this. Government shouldn’t stop just because it’s the holiday season. This is not just about protecting our borders, it is also a humanitarian situation.”
On Friday 12 people were detained in two boats off the Dover coast: all but one, a Syrian, came from Iran. At least 220 people have attempted the crossing in small boats since November.
The news came as Javid was urged to send in reinforcements after confirmation from the Home Office that only a single cutter has been deployed, with smaller inflatable vessels as backup.
The government has been reluctant to bring in more cutters in case the use of additional boats encourage more migrants to attempt the voyage. “They might act as a magnet, encouraging people to make a perilous crossing,” said Ms Nokes.
Critics said the setup has left the sole vessel, HMC Searcher, ill-equipped to deal with multiple crossings.
Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, said the number of patrol vessels in the Channel was “ridiculously small” and left the UK vulnerable to illegal migration and terrorism.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/...ri-to-tackle-channel-migrant-crisis-7xx05dmdt
