Image copyright AP

The UK overseas aid budget should be used to stabilise countries and discourage mass migration, the defence secretary has said.

Speaking to the BBC, Michael Fallon said "well-focused aid" could "prevent conflict breaking out... so that we don't have to fish people out of the Mediterranean later on".

EU states should also pool intelligence on trafficking gangs, he said.

More than 1,800 migrants have died in the Mediterranean so far this year.

That is a 20-fold increase on the same period in 2014.

Britain has not signed up to proposals from the European Commission to redistribute tens of thousands of asylum seekers who have arrived in Italy and Greece to other countries.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Michael Fallon says there must be a "comprehensive approach" to try to tackle migration across the Mediterranean

Crisis 'roots'

Mr Fallon told The Andrew Marr Show mass migration was a "European problem" and so far only the "symptoms" were being dealt with.

"I think we can pool the intelligence we all have as European countries on these trafficking gangs, we can get more information on the roots, we can tackle their financing," he said.

"And we can use our overseas aid budget - and this is where it should be used - to help stabilise some of these countries and discourage this kind of mass migration from them.

"Well-focused aid should be used to help stabilise these countries, to prevent conflict breaking out."

Analysis: Alan Soady, BBC political and parliamentary reporter

Michael Fallon is arguing that defence and international development are "two sides of the same coin".

He mentions not only the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, but also the 200 military personnel still in areas of Sierra Leone affected by the ebola virus.

His department, however, is facing further budget savings of £500m on top of cuts that have been made in recent years.

The government has been coming under pressure for months over whether it will continue to meet the Nato target of spending at 2% of GDP on defence.

In contrast, the international development budget is protected from cuts.

And so, whatever the rights or wrongs of Michael Fallon's view of how aid money should be spent, some in Westminster will suspect the defence secretary may be hoping it could have the happy coincidence of saving his own department some cash.

Britain is sending survey vessel HMS Enterprise to the Mediterranean early next month to take over from HMS Bulwark, which Mr Fallon said had saved nearly 3,000 lives.

A British Merlin helicopter will continue taking part in operations.

GCHQ, the UK's listening post in Cheltenham, is also reportedly being deployed for the first time to identify criminal gangs smuggling migrants to the Libyan coast.

Mr Fallon added: "There has got to be a much more comprehensive approach tackling the problem much further back, dealing with the trafficking gangs, building up information about the people who are making money out of this incredibly dangerous journey."

Image copyright PA Image caption HMS Bulwark has helped rescue the lives of nearly 3,000 people

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond will join EU counterparts in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss a European naval operation in the Mediterranean to combat people smuggling.

Earlier this week, EU ministers failed to agree to a plan that would involve the equal distribution of asylum seekers across all 28 EU states.

While some EU members, including Germany and Austria, back the quota idea, others argue migrants should not be forced to move to countries where they do not want to settle.

The UK, Denmark and Ireland have exemptions from the quota plan.

Much of the mass migration has come from Libya where there has been conflict since 2011, following the ousting and death of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

There is currently no ruling power in the country, although the UN is leading attempts to establish a unitary government.

Mr Fallon said it was important a political settlement was reached in Libya soon so that there was an official government the UK could work with, enabling migrants to be returned.

"We have to break the link between rescuing people from the Mediterranean and settlement because they'll keep coming if they think they're going to be settled."

Asked whether the EU could consider a naval blockade of the northern coast of Africa, Mr Fallon said: "That is a matter for Europe to look to see... It is a very long coast.

"That is a difficult operation. I think what is more important is to pool the intelligence we have to go much further back in Africa."