Europe 1 with AFP 9:57 am, November 26, 2021

Gérald Darmanin canceled Britain's invitation to a meeting in Calais on Sunday, organized following the sinking of a migrant boat that killed 27 people on Wednesday in the English Channel.

London responded by following, calling on Paris to reinstate the invitation to the British Home Secretary.

Sunday's meeting in Calais devoted to the migrant crisis is "maintained", but "without the British", said the Interior Ministry on Friday. "The problem goes beyond our borders. This is why we are going to work on common solutions from Sunday with our European partners", we added in the entourage of the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin, who canceled the Britain's invitation to this meeting, organized following the sinking of a migrant boat that killed 27 people on Wednesday in the English Channel.

"The British government is choosing to do domestic politics at a time when our only priority should be to avoid further tragedies in the Channel. We regret it," said Gerald Darmanin's entourage.

The Home Office argues that "the British obsession with sending migrants back to France should not make us lose sight of the fact that it is because they have practically no legal way to get to the Kingdom any longer. "Not that these men and women are attempting this dangerous crossing".

London reacts

On Thursday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on France to take back illegal immigrants who managed to reach the shores of Great Britain, angering Paris. "The UK must engage in good faith in working on the root causes of this phenomenon. It cannot have both an economic model based on a large immigrant workforce and slam the door on those who do. ask him for asylum.

We have to be coherent ", we added in the entourage of the French Minister of the Interior, insisting on the fact that France remains" convinced that the only decent thing to face such tragedies is to seek real solutions. ”“ Our only enemy, it was stressed, are the smugglers.

It is against these criminal groups that we must concentrate our energies ".

London reacted on Friday morning, asking Paris to reinstate the invitation to the British Home Secretary.

"No nation can tackle this alone. I hope the French will reconsider (their decision)," Transport Minister Grant Shapps told the BBC.