France has formally rejected Boris Johnson’s call for British authorities to carry out joint patrols on the beaches around Calais to deter people from crossing the Channel unsafely, reports the Guardian.
In a letter to Johnson, the French prime minister, Jean Castex, said the country could not accept the presence of British police officers or soldiers as that would compromise the nation’s sovereignty.
Castex also suggested the UK should carry out reforms of its systems to offer “legal immigration paths” for people to go to the UK instead of risking the perilous crossing. However, he promised that France would examine “in good faith” some of the proposals put forward to resolve the crisis.
Johnson sparked fury in France by posting his letter to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, calling for further action after 27 people lost their lives while attempting to cross the Channel in November, on Twitter.
Reports appeared that Macron had labelled Johnson a “clown” and “knucklehead” in the feud.