French President Emmanuel Macron has urged the UK to make it easier for people to apply for asylum and harder to work illegally, to stem dangerous migration across the English Channel.
Mr Macron accused the British government of reneging on promises over fishing licences and of betraying the countries' friendship by signing a secret submarine deal with the US and Australia, which ended a rival French contract.
The British government “doesn’t do what it says”, Mr Macron said, and the two countries “need to work together in good faith”, especially on migration.
Thousands of migrants have departed from the French coast in recent months in small, inflatable boats to try to reach Britain.
“Why are these women and men in these terrible conditions? Because they don’t want asylum in France,” Mr Macron said.
Britain and France have accused each other of not doing enough to prevent the deaths of at least 27 migrants whose boat sank last month off the coast of Calais.
Mr Macron urged the UK to provide easier ways for asylum seekers to make applications in Britain to quell the numbers of those willing to risk the trip across the Channel.
He said they were attracted to the UK's economic model that depends on illegal work by foreigners.
Mr Macron also said that France would decide with European Commission on Friday on the next steps in its fishing dispute with Britain.
French fishermen are angry at the British government for not granting more licences to fish in UK water after Brexit.
The fishing industry is economically tiny but symbolically important for both Britain and France.
“I like Great Britain. I like its people,” Mr Macron said. “I want terribly to have a government that wants to work simply in good faith.”
