French Presidential favourite Emmanuel Macron threatens to renegotiate Britain’s border deal in Calais
FRENCH Presidential favourite Emmanuel Macron yesterday vowed to renegotiate Britain’s border deal in Calais.
In the latest of a series of threats, Mr Macron said he wanted to put the so-called Le Touquet agreement “back on the table”.
“It must be renegotiated,” he said.
Under the deal British customs officials can carry out border checks on the other side of the Channel.
Furious French politicians claim the agreement is why migrants end up massed around Calais – as they cannot go any further.
Mr Macron told French TV: “There is no easy solution to the migrant crisis.
“If there was one, it would have been found.”
The real problem, he said, was migrants coming to France in the hope of crossing the Channel. He said: “I want to put the Le Touquet border deal back on the table.
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“It must be renegotiated, especially the parts that deal with the fate of isolated child migrants.”
Mr Macron sparked anger during the Referendum campaign by saying Brexit would see Le Touquet end – and the Jungle move to Kent.
He said: “The day this relationship unravels migrants will no longer be in Calais.” But just TWO MONTHS ago the Presidential hopeful dropped his threat to tear up the border deal.
In February on leaving talks with Theresa May in Downing Street, he said he would retain the Le Touqet deal and the controls should stay.
A Conservative spokesman last night said: “This just shows that we need the strong and stable leadership of Theresa May and the Conservatives to negotiate with our European partners.
“We have always been very clear that protecting and enhancing the shared border between the UK and France at Calais is in both the UK and France’s best interests.”
The spokesman added: “Britain has a proud history of supporting genuine refugees who flee persecution and that will always be the case under a Conservative Government.”