London - Britain has caused the migrant chaos in Calais by luring thousands with the promise of “black market jobs”, a French politician said on Monday.
Xavier Bertrand claimed there was a “problem with the English” that allowed migrants to work illegally in the UK.
But the outspoken former employment minister drew accusations of hypocrisy because he made no reference to France’s own black economy - which is greater than Britain’s.
He lashed out as it emerged a migrant shanty town near the French port is to have permanent running water, electricity, toilets and prefabricated shelters installed in a £360 000 upgrade - despite fears it will be a stronger “magnet” for those heading across the Channel.
Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart also called on France to provoke a “diplomatic incident” with Britain, saying the UK should either join Europe’s borderless travel zone or leave the EU entirely.
The port is under mounting pressure from more than 3 000 immigrants, many from Africa and the Middle East, with tensions between migrants and with local residents reaching boiling point in recent weeks.
But in the latest inflammatory outburst by a French politician, Mr Bertrand laid the blame for the crisis squarely on the UK’s refusal to force people to carry identity papers.
He claimed this would make it easier to crack down on illegal workers - a suggestion roundly dismissed by experts in Britain. Mr Bertrand said: “This means the English - and here is the hypocrisy - have a cheap labour market because illegal immigrants are paid so much less.”
But according to a report by the Tax Research blog, 15 percent of France’s economy is part of the “shadow economy”. In the UK it is 12.5 per cent – or an estimated £190billion a year.
Another survey last year showed that a third of all French people surveyed admitted taking part in the black economy.
Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “While we need to be extremely tough on any employer who hires illegal workers, the French should look much more carefully at the way they conduct themselves. They have also got a problem with people working in the black economy.”
Alp Mehmet, of think-tank MigrationWatch, said France cannot control who enters its borders from elsewhere in the so-called Schengen zone - the bloc of 26 states that have no border controls between them. The UK can hardly be at fault when we are not part of the Schengen arrangement,” he said.
Mr Bertrand - an MP for Nicolas Sarkozy’s Right-wing Republican Party - also called for a “maritime blockade” of the Mediterranean to stop migrants arriving on boats from Libya.
He singled out David Cameron for criticism, declaring: “If [he] wants to hold a debate about the EU, he should first stop this hypocrisy.” Mr Bertrand is known for his outspoken views on migrants, saying three years ago that Muslim women who hide their faces behind veils should be stripped of French citizenship.
Miss Bouchart said yesterday the UK had not given a “euro” towards helping Calais handle the crisis. In fact, Britain has given £12 million to the French to enhance security measures.
Mr Cameron has also vowed to tackle the black economy, with new legislation to punish those working illegally.
- The Greek coastguard on Monday said it rescued more than 1 100 migrants from the eastern Aegean Sea last weekend in 37 separate operations.
Daily Mail