Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the use of the military to counter migrant crossings
Select Committee
Defence Committee
HC 1069
11 March 2022
Recommendations
1 results
2
Acknowledged
In line with our general policy on shipbuilding, we call on the Home Office to...
Recommendation
In line with our general policy on shipbuilding, we call on the Home Office to ensure that any new vessels are built in British yards, to ensure national capacity is maintained (Paragraph 11) Criticism of the policy
Government Response Summary
The government notes the recommendation. The National Shipbuilding Office is working with the Home Office and Border Force on the vessel replacement programme, seeking to maximise UK content wherever possible, as part of the 30-year shipbuilding pipeline.
Ministry of Defence
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Conclusions (3) Observations and findings — click to expand
4
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 56
We are seriously concerned by the lack of a clear endpoint for this operation. Restoring public confidence in the immigration system is a task at which numerous governments have failed. It is not a task Defence is equipped to undertake. The MOD has its own policy failings which it needs …
Government Response Summary
The government notes the Committee’s conclusions and states that current planning is for Defence to retain primacy of the UK’s operational response until January 2023, at which point the operational requirement and financing arrangements will be reviewed.
7
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 63
A public disagreement between two great offices of state, played out in the House and on Twitter, is deeply unedifying. If one of the objectives is to restore public 30 Operation Isotrope: the use of the military to counter migrant crossings confidence then this disagreement has done the opposite and …
Government Response Summary
The Government notes the Committee’s view but believes it is reasonable to set out overarching policy aims and strategy in advance of the full details, stating that the MOD, Home Office and others are working closely together on a single cross-Government response.
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Conclusion
Acknowledged
Operation Isotrope’s potential to cause reputational damage to the Royal Navy (and even UK Defence as a whole) is significant. That risk comes from a number of areas: those who believe that this is not a defence task (but rather ought to be carried out by civil authorities); those who …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges that countering small boats migration is a complex problem requiring a 'whole of Government' response and states the MOD has been clear on the Royal Navy's role and boundaries, with information published daily on GOV.UK.