Macron Says ‘Hypocritical’ Britain to Blame for Every Channel Migrant Drowning | Farsnews Agency

(FNA)- French President Emmanuel Macron said Britain bears the responsibility for all migrant deaths in the Channel and accused Westminster of ‘hypocrisy’.

Speaking to the regional French newspaper La Voix du Nord, President Macron said he will “step up” the pressure on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to establish a legal route to Britain for asylum seekers - something Westminster has so far declined to do.

“The responsibility for those who die at sea does not fall upon France but upon this British refusal,” Macron said.

Responding to the President’s comments on Wednesday, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said they were “absolutely wrong”.

Patel told MPs on the Commons Home Affairs Committee, “Macron’s comments are wrong. They’re absolutely wrong. So, let me be very, very clear about that.”

President Macron told the French newspaper that the British economy is reliant on low-paid, illegal immigration labour, adding, “The British continue to have a system from the 1980s, which manages economic immigration through hypocrisy. There is no legal immigration route.”

He added, “The British must articulate their needs in terms of the economy and reopen a path to legal asylum requests. We are going to step up the pressure.”