Brexit has tied UK’S hands on migrant crisis, says France
PM rebuked by Macron as ‘not serious’ after letter proposing joint patrols at Calais is put up on Twitter
FRENCH politicians yesterday claimed that Brexit has undercut the UK’S ability to tackle the surge in Channel migrant crossings as Emmanuel Macron reprimanded Boris Johnson.
The Élysée Palace reacted fiercely to Mr Johnson’s three-page letter of proposals for reducing the number of boats launched from France which was sent to Mr Macron on Thursday night.
The French president described the content and the format of the letter as “not serious” as Mr Johnson published his plans on Twitter moments after sending a copy to Mr Macron.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, was yesterday disinvited from a gathering of EU ministers to discuss solutions to the crisis after 27 people died while crossing the Channel on Wednesday.
The ferocity of the French reaction caught Downing Street by surprise. Sources in No10 argued that the letter had been written in a “constructive” manner and insisted Mr Johnson did not regret Britain’s departure from the EU.
The Prime Minister’s letter included a proposal that officials from both countries join forces to patrol French beaches.
But it was his suggestion that France take back any migrants who cross to England by boat that appeared to particularly anger Mr Macron’s team. It effectively replicates a deal the UK had with France while in the EU.
Speaking about the way Mr Johnson’s letter was delivered, Mr Macron said: “I am surprised by methods when they are not serious. One leader does not communicate with another on these questions on Twitter, by public letter.”
Gabriel Attal, a French government spokesman, said during a television interview about the letter that “we are fed up with double-talk” and it was “both poor in substance and totally inappropriate in style”.
He added: “We are fed up with the way they are externalising problems. You wonder whether Boris Johnson doesn’t regret leaving Europe because whenever there is a problem, he considers that Europe must handle it. But that is not the way it works.”
At the heart of some of the criticism from France was the suggestion that the UK had chosen Brexit with a promise to
‘It is strange the one who pushed for Brexit now wants what he had with the EU’
“take back control of its borders” yet it was now trying to readopt EU measures it had turned its back on.
While in the EU the UK had benefited from the Dublin Regulation. This dictates that an asylum seeker would normally have their application processed at their first point of entry to the bloc.
Pierre-henri Dumont, MP for Calais, said: “What we are facing right now is an aftermath of Brexit. The UK left the Dublin agreement. So it’s a bit strange that the one who pushed for Brexit is now asking for something that was contained with membership of the EU.”
Michel Barnier, the former Brexit negotiator for the European Commision, said: “It is obviously an additional provocation of Boris Johnson. He is in a state of mind of confrontations on all subjects with the EU. This very serious question deserves much better treatment.” A Home Office source argued that the Dublin Regulation never worked as intended while the UK was in the EU, with some French politicians in agreement. “Dublin didn’t work. It doesn’t work for France, it didn’t work for us, it doesn’t work for countries across Europe. So actually I don’t think that’s a fair criticism,” the source said.