Citing senior government sources, several newspapers said that staff is being given special training to handle migrant boats at sea, but that the tactics would only be used in certain circumstances and when they deem it safe to do so.
The reports come after Patel met with her French counterpart, Gerald Darmanin, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Group of Seven interior ministers held on Wednesday in London.
Following her meeting with Darmanin, the UK home minister said she had had "constructive talks" with him on tackling illegal migration across the Channel.
"I made clear that delivering results and stopping crossings were an absolute priority for the British people," she wrote on her Twitter account.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told parliament that the UK government "will use every possible tactic at our disposal" to deal with the surge in migrants crossing the English Channel, but stressed that the solution largely depended on the French authorities.
Some 13,500 migrants have crossed the English Channel this year so far, with the latest boat packed with 785 people arriving on Monday, according to media reports.
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French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Thursday that France would not accept Britain violating international maritime law or "financial blackmail" as London steps up efforts to prevent migrants crossing the Channel.
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