Calais mayor angry at PM’s stance
The Mayor of Calais says she is disgusted by the attitude of Prime Minister David Cameron over the migrant camp in the French town.
Natacha Bouchart, who appeared before MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee this week also revealed nine people, including a baby, had died at the camp since July.
Ms Bouchart said she held Mr Cameron in contempt because he was refusing to take any Syrian refugees from Europe and none from Calais, where an estimated 3,500 migrants are gathered.
Instead he has pledged to help 20,000 people directly from camps in Syria and Turkey.
She threatened to open the borders to those at the camps if the town did not receive £35 million to help it, saying it was not “blackmail but a moral obligation”. In a series of testy exchanges with MPs, she said Mr Cameron was “contemptuous” of Calais people.
On Tuesday morning, a group of 10 men fled from an Iranian ship after it docked in Northfleet.
The men, who were part of a crew from Syria, made their move after the vessel arrived at the docks at 6.32am on Tuesday.
Police and border authorities made their way to the scene and the ship is now being guarded. It is believed it cannot sail because it has been impounded. It is not known how many of the crew are still on the vessel.