UK threatens to send migrant boats back to France

FILE PHOTO: Inflatable boats used by migrants to cross the channel are seen in the harbour in Dover, Britain, September 8, 2021. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) -Britain has approved plans to turn away boats illegally carrying migrants to its shores, deepening a rift with France over how to deal with a surge of people risking their lives by trying to cross the Channel in small dinghies.

Hundreds of small boats have attempted the journey from France to England this year, across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. The summer surge happens every year, but is now larger than normal as alternative routes have been shut down.