Recommendations & Conclusions
13 items
1
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
The announcement of this policy appears to have been made prematurely. When the Government has been asked for details, it has consistently responded that these were being worked out. Announcing a policy before finalising the details is bad practice, particularly when that policy area is so sensitive. We question why …
Government response. On 14 April, the Prime Minister announced major reforms to UK immigration policy, including the Economic and Migration Development Partnership with Rwanda as well as confirming military primacy for small boats migration in the English Channel. the policy detail. Indeed, …
Ministry of Defence
2
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
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. The Government notes the Committee’s recommendation. The 11 new Border Force vessels are part of the 30 Year Cross-Government Shipbuilding Pipeline announced in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh on 10 March 2022. The National Shipbuilding Office, which is responsible for …
Ministry of Defence
3
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
A successful military strategy requires clear ends, ways and means. The ends (or in this case the objectives) are anything but. The MOD appears to regard its objective as ensuring that no migrant lands on their own terms, but the Home Office sees the objective as deterrence. Whilst these are …
Government response. The Government believes the Committee’s conclusion is premature in that it was made before the full policy was announced. The Nationalities and Borders Act and the policy of third country processing will change the dynamic in the Channel. Migrants will …
Ministry of Defence
4
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
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. The Government notes the Committee’s conclusions. 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.
Ministry of Defence
5
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
We recommend that the Home Office and the MOD agree realistic indicators of success and explain them to both Houses of Parliament. Furthermore, we recommend that an agreed date for the operation to be handed over to the Border Force is published, with the option of extension if so required. …
Government response. The Government disagrees with the Committee’s view on the deployment of ‘scarce’ naval resources. The Batch 1 Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and P2000 coastal patrol craft are permanently assigned to a range of duties in Home Waters including support to …
Ministry of Defence
6
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
We believe that the Government ought to reconsider its refusal to publish the details of strategic and operational responsibility. This confusion around where responsibility for the policy lies is compounded by the fact that, as noted above, the solution to this issue does not lie at sea and therefore is …
Government response. The Government considers that the overall division of responsibility is clear: the Home Secretary will retain overall accountability for the Government’s illegal migration strategy, whilst the Defence Secretary is assuming responsibility for and control of the operational response to irregular …
Ministry of Defence
7
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
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. 6 Operation Isotrope: Government response The Government notes the Committee’s view on this matter, though believes it is perfectly reasonable to set out overarching policy aims and strategy in advance of the full details. The Ministry of Defence, Home Office …
Ministry of Defence
8
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
It is clear that if Royal Navy vessels are to be committed to the operation in the Channel, some existing commitments will be given up. The Government ought to be clear, both with Parliament and the public what it is prioritising this task against and which commitments will be unfulfilled …
Government response. The Government disagrees with the Committee. There is no significant impact whatsoever on wider Royal Navy or Army activity. The assets made available to Operation ISOTROPE are already permanently assigned to Home Waters.
Ministry of Defence
9
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
The Defence budget (despite its recent uplift and multi-year commitment) is already inadequate. Adding responsibility for immigration without a further uplift in the budget takes scarce resources from an already overstretched Department. We do not understand why this operation is not being treated as a MACA request and accordingly resourced …
Government response. A £50 million package has been agreed between the Treasury, Home Office and the Ministry of Defence to enable the delivery of military primacy until early 2023, at which point the requirement and resourcing will be reviewed.
Ministry of Defence
10
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
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. The Government accepts that countering small boats migration is a complex and challenging problem that requires a ‘whole of Government’ response. In announcing the policy, the MOD has been clear on the Royal Navy’s role and boundaries. Information on small …
Ministry of Defence
11
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
The manner in which this decision was announced leaves a lot to be desired. The confusion around the ways and means which will be used to achieve the strategic objective (let alone the strategic objective itself) is unhelpful and does not lend itself to effective scrutiny, particularly when Ministers provide …
Government response. 1 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats Operation Isotrope: Government response 7 The Government believes the Committee’s point on the timing of the announcement is disingenuous. The policy was announced on 14 April 2022 by the Prime Minister. The ‘announcement’ to which the Committee refers …
Ministry of Defence
12
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
Furthermore, this operation distracts from other Defence tasks, which is a particular concern given the shortfalls we identified in our recent Report ‘We’re going to need a bigger Navy’. The operation will likely have long-term impacts on training, personnel leave allocation and asset maintenance. It is also unclear why Op …
Government response. Defence primacy for tackling small boats migration in the Channel is one part of the Government’s significant overhaul of the immigration system. On 14 April 2022, the Government announced its New Plan for Immigration which seeks to control and protect …
Ministry of Defence
13
Conclusion
Fourth Report - Operation Isotrope: the…
In short, the Government has not attempted to persuade us that Operation Isotrope is anything but an ill-defined policy, prematurely announced. The best case scenario for the Royal Navy is that it will leave with its reputation unharmed: there is no prospect of leaving with its reputation enhanced. (Paragraph 82) …
Government response. Defence primacy for tackling small boats migration in the Channel is one part of the Government’s significant overhaul of the immigration system. On 14 April 2022, the Government announced its New Plan for Immigration which seeks to control and protect …
Ministry of Defence