MoU between Coastguard and Border Force
Cranston Inquiry · The Cranston Inquiry Report · Issued 5 February 2026 · Addressed to: HM Coastguard
Government responseDepartment for Transport: Accepted (Jul 2026)
DeliveryCabinet Office says in progress (Oct 2026)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
For so long as the current arrangements in relation to search and rescue in the English Channel remain in place, the roles and responsibilities of HM Coastguard and Border Force should be set out in a memorandum of understanding.
Cranston Inquiry, The Cranston Inquiry Report · 5 Feb 2026 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
The Inquiry recommended a memorandum of understanding between HM Coastguard and Border Force. In October 2026, the Cabinet Office reported that the Department for Transport is working to put in place a memorandum of understanding setting out roles and responsibilities (Cabinet Office, Oct 2026). The department previously stated in July 2026 that it was working with Border Security Command within the Home Office on the agreement (Department for Transport response, Jul 2026). Both sources note that an update will be provided in the department's final response to the Inquiry (Department for Transport response, Jul 2026; Cabinet Office, Oct 2026).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 16 Oct 2026.
Government response
●Department for Transport · Accepted · 16 Jul 2026
The Department is working with HMCG and Border Security Command (within the Home Office) to put in place a memorandum of understanding setting out roles and responsibilities. An update will be provided in the Department’s final response to the Inquiry.
Extract from: Cranston Inquiry Report: Interim Response
Delivery
●Cabinet Office says in progress · 5 Oct 2026
The Department for Transport published its interim response to the Cranston Inquiry in July 2026, which included updates against this recommendation. The Department is working to put in place a memorandum of understanding setting out roles and responsibilities. An update will be provided in the Department’s final response to the Inquiry.
From: Cranston Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, October 2026 (data file)
How this page is built
The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.