Temporary deployment of HMS Bulwark is coming to an end with no agreement to continue as summer exodus of migrants from north Africa reaches its peak

Britain is due to withdraw the Royal Navy’s flagship, HMS Bulwark, within the next three weeks from its role helping to rescue thousands of migrants trying to enter Europe across the Mediterranean.

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Bulwark’s participation in the EU search and rescue operation was agreed only for an initial 60 days.

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The ship began to take part in rescue operations, some off the coast of Libya, on 5 May. Its deployment is due to end on 5 July, and there has been no clear decision on what will happen afterwards.



The temporary deployment of HMS Bulwark was announced by David Cameron in the middle of the general election campaign on 23 April at an EU summit on the migrant crisis.

“No definitive date has been set for its withdrawal,” said an MoD spokeswoman. “All options are being considered.”

If there is no decision to continue Bulwark’s deployment it will mean the British contribution will be withdrawn just as the flow of migrants from north Africa risking their lives in small boats rises to a summer peak.

Cameron has repeatedly cited HMS Bulwark’s “key role in saving lives” in the Mediterranean as the major part of Britain’s contribution to dealing with what the UN has described as the biggest refugee crisis since the second world war.

Theresa May, the home secretary, met with her EU counterparts in Luxembourg on Tuesday, where she was expected to reiterate the UK’s opposition to taking any of the 40,000 asylum seekers who make it to Italy or Greece over the next two years under an EU relocation plan.

Arriving at the meeting of EU interior ministers, May said the Mediterranean migrant crisis was already reaching the British border: “The crisis in terms of the migrants crossing the Mediterranean is a problem in two ways: first of all, vulnerable lives are being put at risk, but secondly, as we see at Calais and elsewhere, it is putting great pressure on European towns and cities which is even reaching to our borders although we are not part of the borderless Schengen area.

“To deal with issue in the long term we need to go after the criminal gangs who are plying this terrible, callous trade in human lives. It also means we have to break the link between people getting into the boat and reaching Europe.

“That means returning people to north Africa or to their home country so that they see no merit in this journey. It also means development work in the countries of origin so that these people do not have the insane incentive to try to get into these boats and risk their lives,” she said before highlighting the rescue work of HMS Bulwark and two Border Force cutters.

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Despite repeated pleas for Britain to share the responsibility for those who make it across the Mediterranean, May has attacked the relocation plan as only encouraging those at the mercy of “evil” people traffickers.

“I disagree with the suggestion by the EU’s high representative, Federica Mogherini, that no migrants intercepted at sea should be sent back against their will,” May said in a Times article last month. “Such an approach would only act as an increased pull factor across the Mediterranean – and encourage more people to put their lives at risk.”

Britain has refused to take part in either of the EU schemes to relocate 40,000 asylum seekers who have made it across the Mediterranean or resettle 20,000 refugees in north Africa and the Middle East, including Syrians, deemed to be in need of international protection.

Cameron reinforced that position this month at prime minister’s question time when he insisted that most of those crossing the Mediterranean were economic migrants and not asylum seekers in need of international protection.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A migrant woman feeds a child after they disembarked from the HMS Bulwark at Catania harbour, Italy, on 8 June. Photograph: Carmelo Imbesi/AP

“They have been tricked and fooled by criminal gangs. Our role should be going after those criminal gangs, sorting out the situation in Libya, turning back the boats where we can and using our generous aid budget to mend the countries from which these people are coming. That is our moral responsibility and one that I am proud to fulfil,” the prime minster told MPs.

He was criticised by the British Refugee Council, which pointed out that most of those making the perilous journey came from Syria, Eritrea and Afghanistan and were fleeing war-torn and brutal regimes.

The Italians have threatened to deny landing rights to asylum seekers rescued by ships from countries who refuse to take part in the EU relocation scheme.

Italy’s European affairs minister, Sandro Gozi, indicated that his country would take a tough stance in Tuesday’s negotiations. He said it would be unacceptable for other EU members to refuse to take in at least 40,000 of the migrants.

“It is unacceptable not to implement the principle of burden-sharing. It is unacceptable to distribute one migrant less than the 40,000 which has been proposed by the [European commission], which is already an insufficient number,” he said. “For us it is clear that the number is absolutely non-negotiable.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Rescued migrants onboard HMS Bulwark on 7 June. Photograph: Jay Allen/AP

He said there would be consequences if the EU failed to take action. “We do believe that Europe should be consistent with its treaties. In the European treaties it is clearly said that in emergency moments you have to share the burden of political refugees.”

Cameron made clear when he announced the deployment of HMS Bulwark that he was doing so only on the condition that the people rescued would be taken to the nearest port – most likely Italy – and not be given recourse to asylum in the UK. HMS Bulwark had rescued more than 2,700 people at sea as of 7 June.

The British Refugee Council chief executive, Maurice Wren, said European ministers were discussing plans which could mean life or death for some of the world’s most desperate refugees.

“They cannot close their eyes to the death, destruction and displacement gripping the world and pretend it’s not our problem. History will be a cruel judge if our response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Mediterranean is to expect people to stay put while blocking up their escape routes and denying them other paths to safety. The first priority must be to save lives and ensure that

protection is given to those who need it.”

Britain has played a leading role in trying to get an EU military operation off the ground to stop smugglers using fishing boats and other vessels and break the link between getting on a boat and achieving residence in Europe. British personnel have been involved in the military planning for the operation and drafted the UN resolution to authorise the use of force. However, this plan has stalled in the face of a lack of consent from the Libyan authorities.