President Macron has criticised Boris Johnson for publishing an open letter on Twitter as the French government cancelled talks between the two nations on the migrant crisis, reports The Times.
Last night Johnson tweeted a list of British requests of France. Macron said that he was “surprised” at Johnson’s decision to make the letter public and branded his demands “not serious”.
“You do not communicate between leaders through tweets and open letters that are made public. This is not serious,” he said.
France has blamed Britain’s failure to enforce immigration laws for worsening the Channel migration crisis and disinvited Priti Patel from a crucial meeting on Sunday, reports The Times.
The proposals set out in Johnson’s letter included setting up joint patrols and a new bilateral agreement to allow for the immediate return of those who cross the Channel. Britain would accept unaccompanied children with links to [the] country.
The letter prompted the French government to bar Patel from an emergency meeting of ministers from France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany to discuss the migration crisis.
Announcing the cancellation of Patel’s invitation, Gérald Darmanin, the French interior minister, said: “Making it public made it even worse.”
The letter prompted the French government to bar Patel from an emergency meeting of ministers from France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany to discuss the migration crisis.
Announcing the cancellation of Patel’s invitation, Gérald Darmanin, the French interior minister, said: “Making it public made it even worse.”
Gabriel Attal, a French minister and government spokesman, said that migrants were attracted to Britain because there was little risk they would be sent back to their countries of origin.