Take a share of our asylum seekers, French Europe minister tells UK

France has demanded a "new migratory deal" with Britain to allow the EU to send asylum seekers over the Channel to the UK.

Clement Beaune, the country's Europe minister, sparked fury among Tory MPs as he declared that Britain should take a share of the migrants crowding into northern France and spurring a record number of Channel crossings.

"We must, after Brexit, have a new migratory deal no doubt between the EU and Britain so that we can expel, or direct a certain number of migrants to the UK so they can request asylum," Mr Beaune told CNews.

"It's [Britain's] responsibility," he added, accusing the UK of being a soft touch on illegal immigration. "We have seen sometimes that it is the attractiveness of Britain's asylum system that is in question.

"We are the ones who have paid a high price over the past 10 years – we see it in Calais regarding organisation, humanitarian aid and police checks."

However, a Conservative source responded: "Monsieur Beanune needs his eyes testing. Day after day, French boats are escorting migrants into UK waters. We would love a new deal with the EU or France. 

"But so far both are refusing to discuss it. We are reforming the system through our New Plan for Immigration and would suggest that he has a read of that before making such nonsensical comments."

Tim Loughton, a Conservative member of the Commons home affairs committee, said: "Why am I not surprised? So here's the deal. They can send migrants to the UK to make their asylum applications so long as they immediately take back all of those who have their claims rejected and stop all those still trying to come illegally in small boats."

France has consistently rejected UK demands to turn back migrants at sea or allow Britain to return migrants caught on sea or UK land in order to deter them by showing them that crossing is a fruitless endeavour.

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, is pushing through new laws that will deny illegal migrants the right to settle in the UK even if they are granted asylum, give Border Force powers to turn back migrants' boats and establish processing centres for thousands of migrants in the UK and potentially abroad.

Under the 2003 Le Touquet agreement, British border officials conduct checks in France via juxtaposed controls in Channel ports. This effectively moved the French frontier to Kent and the UK frontier to Calais.

There have been growing calls to renegotiate that agreement, with Xavier Bertrand, a French northern regional leader and presidential hopeful, recently calling it a "stitch-up in favour of the English".

Mr Beaune did not go that far, saying that while "Britain must assume its responsibility and help us with these checks", ripping up Le Touquet and letting migrants cross would create chaos.

"It's in our common interest otherwise it would be done mid-Channel and would create tragedies every day, it would bring no more security and more tragedies," he added.

Mr Beaune's comments came as a French general in northern France warned on Tuesday of an impending "explosion" in Afghan asylum seekers attempting to cross to the UK in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

General Frantz Tavart, who manages a team of 160 gendarmes tasked with securing a 45-mile stretch of coastline that covers the Pas-de-Calais region, also said that it was well nigh impossible to turn back migrant boats in French waters due to "blackmail" from traffickers.

"They don't hesitate to brandish newborn babies and threaten to throw them into the sea. We have seen this," he said. 

"We have seen some douse children with petrol and threaten to set them on fire if we intervene in French waters. What would you do? We are obliged to give priority to humanitarian considerations."

The Anglo-French row follows Saturday's daily record of 828 migrants reaching the UK, bringing the total to more than 12,500 so far this year compared with 8,400 for the whole of 2020.