A French presidential hopeful has blasted the UK's 'shocking' immigration policies for attracting small boat migrants, and wants Britain to foot the entire Channel security bill.
Centre-right candidate Edouard Philippe condemned Britain's approach to immigration as 'incoherent' and said it was responsible for tragedies in the Channel.
He suggested that if he wins the presidency in April's election he will scrap a longstanding agreement that allows British authorities to carry out border checks on France's territory unless the UK government amends its immigration policies.
Mr Philippe also warned that he would ask Britain to fund the entire cost of French policing operations on the coast, potentially doubling the current £662million three-year bill to UK taxpayers.
President Emmanuel Macron's former prime minister spoke out against what he described as the 'absurdity' of French police trying to stop illegal immigrants leaving France as they head for Britain.
'We must take stock of the absurdity of the current situation,' said Mr Philippe.
'French police officers are working tirelessly to stop people who have no right to be on French territory from leaving French territory.
Centre-right candidate in France's 2027 presidential election Edouard Philippe, pictured right, speaks with Mayor of Zuydcoote Paul Christophe during his visit in Zuydcoote, northern France
Centre-right French presidential candidate Edouard Philippe on the coast at Zuydcoote, near Dunkirk, where he blasted Britain's immigration policies for contributing to the Channel crisis
'And when they do manage to leave French territory, they have a 60 to 65 per cent chance of obtaining legal status in England.
'And those who do not obtain regular legal status in England can work in England because there are no control mechanisms over illegal working.'
Mr Philippe's comments echoed remarks made by Mr Macron last year when he urged the UK to address 'pull factors' attracting migrants, including how easy it is to work illegally in the UK.
At the time the then Labour home secretary Yvette Cooper admitted Mr Macron was 'right that it has been too easy to work illegally for far too long and that is why we are cracking down on that'.
Other French politicians have described Britain as an 'El Dorado' for illegal workers.
Mr Philippe said as part of a 'significant review' of France's relationship with the UK the 2003 Le Touquet Agreement could be torn up if Prime Minister Andy Burnham fails to shake up UK policy.
The treaty, signed at the height of the early 2000s asylum crisis, allows UK border guards to carry out passport checks and security searches on French soil.
The so-called 'juxtaposed controls' operate on rail and ferry cross-Channel routes and have played a key role in reducing illegal immigration by stowaways in cars and lorries.
'I believe we must enter into much firmer discussions with the British,' the presidential candidate said.
'We are all confronted with this issue of the UK's power of attraction and the burdens borne by European countries, linked in my view to a form of incoherence in how the UK organises entry onto its territory.
'That is why I think we … must find a way to process asylum applications within Europe.
'We must have a much stronger agreement with the UK.'
Mr Philippe was speaking after meeting police officers and mayors in Zuydcoote, near Dunkirk, one of the epicentres of illegal Channel crossings organised by trafficking gangs.
He is currently third in first-round polls, at 15 per cent, and aims to unite the centrist vote.
Right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen is gaining around 35 per cent in latest polls, with the hard-Left's Jean-Luc Melenchon second with about 17.5 per cent.
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