In a dramatic joint intervention, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, and her French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve, call on countries across Europe and Africa to help solve the emergency caused by thousands of migrants congregating at their border.
Writing in the Telegraph, they warn would-be immigrants planning to make the “desperate” journey in search of a better life that Britain’s streets “are not paved with gold”.
As a first step to make Britain less attractive, the Home Office announced plans to cut the weekly cash allowances that support thousands of failed asylum seekers with families.
The announcement came as figures showed the number of suspected illegal migrants detained in Britain has soared by almost a fifth since the Calais crisis erupted.
Bedfordshire police – which covers Toddington services on the M1, one of the first stops for many truckers arriving from France – reported a sevenfold year-on-year increase in illegal entries in June.
In their article, Mrs May and Mr Cazeneuve promise that solving the crisis is their joint “top priority”, and disclose that European efforts so far this year have smashed 17 “callous” gangs trafficking people across the Mediterranean to Europe.
But the two ministers demand that Greece, Italy and other European countries take responsibility for stopping the flow of migrants from Africa.
Mrs May and Mr Cazeneuve, the French Interior Minister, made their highly unusual joint statement amid growing tensions over continued delays at Dover for holidaymakers and lorry drivers hit by the chaos at Calais.
The disruption to transport has been caused by a potent combination of striking French ferry workers and hundreds of migrants trying to storm the entrance to the Channel Tunnel as new security fences are erected to keep them out.
The Freight Transport Association believes the crisis is costing road hauliers £700,000 a day as lorries remain backed up on the M20 motorway under Operation Stack, the system brought in to help ease congestion on the roads into Dover.
In their article, Mrs May and Mr Cazeneuve say the scenes from Calais have shown “very starkly the desperate measures some migrants will take” to cross the 20-mile stretch of sea to get to Britain.
“Would-be migrants have been taking ever more dangerous risks – resulting in serious injuries and, tragically, deaths,” they write.
However, they warn that the issue cannot be left to Britain and France alone to solve. “What we are currently facing is a global migration crisis,” they say.
“This situation cannot be seen as an issue just for our two countries.
“It is a priority at both a European and international level. Many of those in Calais and attempting to cross the Channel have made their way there through Italy, Greece or other countries. That is why we are pushing other member states, and the whole of the EU, to address this problem at root.”
They say European governments must do more to end the notion, held by many of those who are desperate enough to attempt the perilous passage from North Africa by boat, that they will find economic security upon arrival.
Many see Europe, and particularly the UK, as somewhere that offers “the prospect of financial gain,” they say.
“This is not the case – our streets are not paved with gold.”
On Saturday Downing Street announced further steps designed to alleviate the pressure at the Calais border.
Under a deal agreed between Britain and France, French police reinforcements will remain in Calais for the rest of the summer, while the UK will spend up to £8 million on a significant increase to the 200 private security guards patrolling the Eurotunnel perimeter.
Britain will offer to pay for more security guards to be provided at the flashpoints in Calais and Coquelles, as well as extra CCTV and floodlights.
The money could see more than 100 extra security guards stationed along the train line.
More CCTV and infra-red detectors will also be sent to secure key sections of the site.
The Government also announced plans to cut state allowances given to illegal migrants’ families to reduce the financial incentives to travel to Britain.
A consultation to be launched within weeks will propose cutting the weekly grants of up to £36.95 per person, currently given to 14,000 failed asylum seekers, including those in family groups.
Under a deal agreed between Britain and France, French police reinforcements will remain in Calais for the rest of the summer, while the UK will spend up to £8 million on a significant increase to the 200 private security guards patrolling the Eurotunnel perimeter.
The announcement came as the Telegraph obtained figures showing how the number of suspected illegal migrants detained in Britain has soared since the escalation of the Calais crisis, up by almost a fifth in the first six months of this year.
There were 2,157 arrests of suspected illegal immigrants by 15 police forces between January and June this year – compared with 1,836 in the same period last year.
The true figure will be far higher because only one third of forces provided full data.
Migrants picked up in Britain can seek to claim asylum and may never be removed from this country.
Although the police arrests are not explicitly linked with new arrivals from the “Jungle” migrant camp outside Calais, the numbers can be taken as an indication of the growing pressure faced by police and border guards.
Police forces with major roads in their territory recorded the largest surges – a phenomenon thought to be linked with stowaway migrants emerging from lorries as they make their first stops on the motorway network after crossing the Channel.
Officers in Bedfordshire detained 74 illegal immigrants in June, up from 10 in June 2014.
Over the first six months of this year in the county there was a 213 per cent rise from 66 to 207.
Thames Valley police saw a 59 per cent increase since last year, with 373 arrests between January and June.
Hertfordshire police said arrests for suspected illegal entry to the UK in the force’s area rose 28 per cent to 199; Northamptonshire police saw arrests rise 82 per cent to 295 since last year; and arrests by Essex police increased 55 per cent to 231. The Metropolitan Police detained 969 foreigners for illegal entry in the first six months of this year.
The problem for the Government in deterring migrants from trying to reach Britain was clear from the testimonies of migrants in Calais.
Biniam Habte, 20, from Eritrea, said he had witnessed the death of a Sudanese asylum seeker who had fallen under the wheels of an oncoming lorry as he tried to storm the Eurotunnel defences.
“It was terrible,” said Mr Habte, who insisted he remained intent on reaching Britain.
“On the journey I have made, you carry your life like an egg in your hand. After what we went through in the Sahara, getting through the tunnel to England is a small thing, and besides, God will watch over me.”
Advice sheets for migrants on how to improve their chances of claiming asylum in the UK are widely available in the camp at Calais. The documents warn them that British Home Office officials are “not your friends” and “will try to refuse your claim and remove you” unless convinced otherwise.
They also include the questions that British officials use to identify bogus applicants, such as the denominations of the currency in the country they claim to have come from. “Prepare for the interview and know your story well,” one leaflet advises.
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