PM Backs Funding Boost To Fight Traffickers

David Cameron is expected to support an EU-wide deal to "strengthen" its presence at sea to disrupt traffickers and increase search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, Sky News has learned.

The agreement, to be hammered out by European leaders in Brussels later, will list the prevention of more deaths as its priority.

But it will only offer to resettle 5,000 people who have fled their homes, raising the prospect of many more being sent home.

And it is likely to fall short of the scale of "Mare Nostrum" - the pro-active rescue mission led by the Italian Navy that was controversially stopped late last year.

Instead, the financial boost will be directed at the EU-funded Operation Triton that replaced it.

That covers search and rescue, but is primarily about policing European borders and operates only within 30 miles of the Italian coast - compared with an earlier effort to scour 27,000 square miles of sea.

Countries including Britain argued that search and rescue acted as an unintended "pull factor" to migrants.

But humanitarian experts warned that the decision to reduce operations would have tragic consequences, not least because Triton's budget was less than a third of its predecessor.

Public outrage over the deaths grew this week after up to 900 migrants died when their boat sank on its way to Europe from Libya.

It raised the death toll to around 1,800 so far this year, compared with fewer than 100 killed during the same time last year, when a similar number attempted the journey.

The scale of deaths in recent weeks has led world leaders to acknowledge that mistakes were made, but even Thursday's funding increase is unlikely to bring the levels back to those seen last year.

The Prime Minister - who is breaking off from election campaigning to attend the summit - has insisted that countries will offer a "comprehensive approach" to the problem.

"Yes we need search and rescue. We can play a role with that. Britain's a wealthy country with strong assets. We can bring some of those to bear," he told Radio 1's Newsbeat.

"But let's also go after effectively the modern slave traders. Let's also try and stabilise these countries - not just Libya, but also Nigeria, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia.

"It's these unstable countries that people are coming from that's part of the problem."

Ed Miliband said the decision to cancel the search-and-rescue operation was wrong and called on Mr Cameron to push for it to be restarted.

The Labour leader said: "There is no trade-off between controlling immigration, showing basic humanity and living up to our moral responsibilities as a country.

"That reflects the values of the British people.

"If I was Prime Minister I would be going to that conference tomorrow and saying restart the search-and-rescue."

The resolution is likely to include a heavy focus on how to disrupt trafficking networks, stop migrants from reaching Mediterranean shores, and prevent boats from entering the water in the first place.

Whitehall sources also stressed the need to direct international aid towards countries people are fleeing to try to tackle the "source" of the problem.

Britain is prepared to provide more equipment to aid rescue missions, but officials want to know what other countries are likely to give before they confirm what could be provided.

Mare Nostrum was launched after 366 refugees died in a shipwreck in October 2013 - but it was wholly funded by Italy.