Mark White has blasted the UK–China deal aimed at disrupting people smuggling networks, branding it a “fantasy” and as evidence suggests smugglers are already ditching Chinese-made engines.
The GB News Home and Security Editor said people smugglers have been moving away from cheap Chinese-manufactured engines because of repeated reliability failures long before the Government’s latest agreement was announced.
Mark said: “Well, you know, to stick with your earlier metaphors on Chinese food, this certainly doesn’t seem like a sweet deal.
“It’s rapidly turning sour because what we’ve been told is that people smugglers, off their own accord, have been increasingly moving away from reliance on these Chinese back street factories to supply and assemble their engines, just because of these reliability issues.
“Now, back in the early days, in 2018, 2019, there were high-end engines that they bought and paid for themselves, and therefore they were reliable, as were the boats.
“But as they wanted to maximise their profits, as this became much more of a crisis and a big phenomenon, they then looked to suppliers in the likes of China to get those engines sourced much more cheaply.
“But what do they do? What do we know about China? They copy. So these were never actually bonafide engines from the manufacturer.
“They were copies, cheap copies, that were prone to breaking down any time they faced adverse conditions, which you do out in the middle of the English Channel.
Mark White hit out at the ‘fantasy’ idea
|
GB NEWS
“So we had a system one day last year where five separate boats all broke down because of engine problems with their Chinese-manufactured engines.
“Now, when you consider it’s a quarter of £1million for each of these small boats, that’s £1.25million.”
“The people smugglers lost. So you can see why they’re switching to new engines. And just to prove it, we sent our producer, Chris, down to the depot the compound near Dover where the small boats and engines are housed.
“And he told us, because he’s expert with all these engines, that what he was looking at there, with the bulk of the engines now that are being stored, are quite high-end engines and not the cheap Chinese copies.
LATEST ON BRITAIN’S MIGRANT CRISIS
Martin Daubney fumed it is an ‘absolute farce’
|
GB NEWS
“So you can see, Martin, that regardless of whatever the deal is or isn’t between the UK and China on this, the people smugglers themselves are deciding that China is not worth it because the engines are just not reliable.
Martin said: “You know why the pictures we’re seeing on our screen, I’ve been to that place there, it’s like a dinghy graveyard, isn’t it?
“Everything is impounded when it lands on the docks at Dover or anywhere else in case it’s claimed as stolen property. Missing property?
“Like a people smuggler is going to suddenly go, ‘oh, can I have my dinghy back, please?’ It’s a farce.
“But what we’re seeing there are hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of sea motors. And as you’re saying, upon closer inspection, it doesn’t quite fit this script, this spin we’re getting from No10 today.
“They claim 60 per cent of the motors are made in China. Your images here clearly prove that not to be the case. They’re abandoning this Chinese tat because there’s one thing they need: they need to get people over the Channel to keep their business model alive.
“So it would appear, Mark White, that Keir Starmer is simply chasing shadows. He’s closing down a route to Britain that these people smugglers aren’t even using anymore.
Mark explained: “Yeah. I mean, the thing about these small boat engines being gathered and put in that compound the authorities, Border Force and the Home Office will be well aware of the changing pattern in the engine supplies.
“And they will have been aware that increasingly of late it’s been moving away from China and using other suppliers.
“Now, historically, I’m sure it’s very true that 60 per cent of the engine parts components came from China. But I think now, if you’re looking at it in recent months, that would not be the case. It’s, I think, clear and evident from what we’re seeing there.
“And where are they getting the new engines from? Well, you know, there’s any number of countries and suppliers they could go to. In fact, you found today, Martin, on the internet, just on eBay, thousands upon thousands of small boat outboard motors.
“All either second-hand, some new, all for sale to anyone, no questions asked.”
