French presidential hopeful calls for end to Calais deal with UK

LONDON // France’s former prime minister and presidential hopeful Alain Juppe on Thursday called for the UK border to be shifted across the English Channel from Calais.

Mr Juppe, who is campaigning to be the right-wing candidate in the race for the presidency, said a change to the agreement was necessary after thousands of migrants gathered in Calais.

“We can’t tolerate what is going on in Calais. The image is disastrous for our country and there are also extremely serious economic and security consequences for the people of Calais,” Mr Juppe said.

“So the first thing is to denounce the Le Touquet accords,” he said, referring to the 2003 agreement which extends the UK border to Calais’ ferry ports. Under the deal, British officials check passports and inspect vehicles.

“We cannot accept making the selection on French territory of people that Britain does or doesn’t want. It’s up to Britain to do that job,” he said.

Mr Juppe, 71, said “of course” the border should be moved back to the UK in spite of British opposition.

“So the debate must be opened and a new accord obtained with Britain,” he said.

The politician’s comments followed the French government’s announcement on Tuesday that the Jungle migrant camp in Calais, where thousands have gathered in the hope of reaching Britain, would be demolished imminently.

French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve told parliament that talks with the British government to see the UK take in some of the hundreds of unaccompanied minors were “proceeding very smoothly”.

The first group of 14 teenagers crossed the Channel on Monday.

Mr Cazeneuve said those remaining at the site, which according to official figures currently hosts around 5,700 people, would be given “dignified” shelter.

French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in June warned against dismantling the Le Touquet agreement, saying it could prompt people to try to cross the Channel.

“If the border is moved to the other side of the Channel, as some suggest, we’ll have to put out boats to rescue people who will be in the water,” Mr Ayrault said.

As a bilateral deal the Le Touquet agreement is not dependent on the European Union, although Britain’s decision in June to leave the EU has brought immigration controls under the spotlight.

Mr Juppe said he respected the outcome of the UK referendum and called for Brexit to be implemented quickly.

“It’s not about punishing Britain, it’s about being coherent,” he said, while asserting that France would maintain “very close bilateral cooperation with the UK” on matters such as defence.

* Agence France-Presse