The Mayor of Calais has furiously rejected claims France needs to be tougher on illegal immigration, as she blasted the “pure hypocrisy” of the British government.
Natacha Bouchart, who has served as the town’s mayor since 2008, also pushed to axe a deal between the two countries that aims to clamp down on small boat crossings.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Bouchart asked why France should pay millions of euros to stop crossings only for migrants to be allowed to work illegally in Britain, with little chance of being deported.
“When the migrants arrive in Britain they work easily without documents,” she claimed. “The British government must stop being in denial.
“In reality, they accept migrants passing through Calais so they have to change the system. The UK should be stopping people, not us.
“We think the French government and Europe aren’t being tough enough on this toward the British government,” she told the channel.
Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice told Express.co.uk that Ms Bouchart “is right that we are too soft and generous, but she should look at her own French colleagues to stop the boats by pick up and take back”.
The Home Office has been approached for comment via email.
A total of 800 migrants crossed the English Channel last week alone according to official figures. Sir Keir Starmer says the best way to bring down the numbers is to take down the trafficking gangs.
“I don’t think this is an area where we should just do one thing. We have got to do everything that we can,” the Prime Minister told reporters en route to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro this week.
“I am absolutely clear in my mind that taking down the gangs is the single most effective way of stopping the boats going across the Channel.
“People are making a huge amount of money for the journeys people are making across obviously several countries to the north coast of France.
“Intercepting and taking those gangs down is hugely important and it will be one of the biggest disincentives if we can break the gangs that are running these,” Sir Keir added.