Migrant patrols in the Med set to be helped with £82k hovercraft Home Office chiefs plan to buy – funded by you

Comment now Next TAXPAYERS are to fund a hovercraft to help migrant patrols — in the Med. Home Office chiefs plan to spend £82,000 on the vessel to scour the coast of Tunisia , which is a main staging post for Africans trying to reach Europe and the UK. Taxpayers are to fund a hovercraft to help migrant patrols — in the Med Credit: Alamy David Lammy signed a £5million deal with Tunisia to help smash people-smuggling gangs last January Credit: Ben Dance / FCDO Advertisement It is part of a long-standing deal with the North African country to reduce illegal migration. The hovercraft is set to be based in Tunisia and manned by Border Force crews. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. The Home Office has issued a procurement tender. It reads: “The buyer wishes to appoint a supplier to provide a search-and-rescue hovercraft, trailer, training, spares, warranty and after-sales support for deployment in Tunisia.” Read More on UK News 'OLD-FASHIONED' Inside Freddie Foreman's life of crime including role in famous robbery FELINE GROOVY I run cat cafe where people pay £6 an hour to let moggies sit on their laps In January last year, The Sun travelled with then Foreign Secretary David Lammy to Tunisia , where he signed a £5million deal with the country to help smash people-smuggling gangs . Some of the cash is being spent on training Africans so they will be less tempted to make dangerous crossings. The Home Office said: “We’re working with partners across Europe and beyond to stop illegal migration before it reaches our shores. “Small boat crossings are down significantly and this summer recorded the lowest number of arrivals since 2020. Advertisement Most read in The Sun DOCTOR HIT Cops probing murder of celeb surgeon identify woman suspected of ordering hit TOP GEAR PAL My pal Ranulph Fiennes 'shouldn't be in a care home' Jeremy Clarkson blasts DEADLY DRUG Two Ole Miss students found dead on same day 'bought Kratom pills days before' GREENS 'CAPTURE' Green Party may have been captured by 'extremists & racists', warns top MP “But there is more to do. “That’s why we’re removing the pull factors that draw migrants across the world and increasing removals of people here illegally.” Comment now