A pot of £17m in UK money will be used to help relocate migrants at the Calais 'Jungle' to other camps in France or to their home countries, David Cameron has revealed.
The Prime Minister said the money would also be spent on enhanced security in the port town.
Speaking at a joint news conference at the end of a summit with French President Francois Hollande, Mr Cameron said: "The money will go towards efforts to move people from the camps in Calais to facilities elsewhere in France and we will fund joint work to return migrants not in need of protection to their home countries."
France's economy minister warned earlier that the Jungle - home to thousands of migrants wanting to get to the UK - could be moved to Kent if Britain were to leave the EU.
Emmanuel Macron said the Le Touquet Agreement could be scrapped if the UK leaves the European Union as a result of an Out vote in June's referendum.
The agreement, which allows British authorities to conduct border checks on the French side of the Channel and thereby keep illegal migrants out, has led to the emergence of the migrant camps across the Channel.
Mr Macron told the Financial Times: "The day this relationship unravels, migrants will no longer be in Calais and the financial passport would work less well."
Mr Hollande told the news conference it was up to the British people whether the UK remained or left but there would be consequences if it was to leave.
In the meantime, he said, France has facilities to accommodate any migrants that are refused permission to become asylum seekers in Britain.
Any unaccompanied minors trying to enter the UK who have relatives already there, he added, should be allowed to go there "quickly and efficiently".
He said: "The (French) Home Office minister has established centres that are at the disposal of these people and he has ensured that ... these people can be placed somewhere in the warm, in good conditions and hopefully (be) integrated into our country.
"With regard to the people who absolutely want to go to the UK, as soon as the UK has decided not to accept these people... the access will be closed."
Earlier this week, demolition teams and riot officers moved into the Calais camp to clear migrants, refugees and activists in an attempt to reduce the camp's size.
:: Mr Cameron has also announced a series of ways in which Britain and France plan to work more closely together on security issues, and to defeat terrorism.
No comments:
Post a Comment