Migrants think Britain is ‘El Dorado’, says Calais mayor

Channel migrants think of Britain as “El Dorado” because of its lax approach to illegal workers, French politicians and officials have claimed.

Natacha Bouchart, the mayor of Calais, said the UK was “hypocritical” in criticising France over a surge in migrant crossings when they were attracted to the country by the prospect of black market work.

They called for a summit with Britain to work out how to end the Channel crossings, which saw at least 12 migrants die on Tuesday when their dinghy, crammed with some 65 people, broke up and sank three miles off the French coast.

Ten of the victims were women including one who was pregnant, and six were “minors”. Most were thought to be from Eritrea. Only eight of the 65 people on board the boat were wearing lifejackets.

Gerald Darmanin, the French interior minister, who has also criticised the UK’s lax labour laws for fuelling the crossings, called for a new treaty that would allow migrants to claim asylum in the UK from the EU.

“We’re suffering from this hypocrisy,” said Ms Bouchart, referring to labour legislation in England and the existence of numerous British smugglers.

“At some point, we’re going to have to have a showdown with this government” to avoid “in 50 years time [being] still at the same level, with people wanting to go to England because it continues to be an El Dorado,” she added.

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Didier Leschi, the director of the French Office of Immigration and Integration, said: “The issue for England is to have an internal system that appears to be an El Dorado – and probably wrongly so – since it’s a country where you can work very easily without having a residence permit.”

El Dorado is a mythical city or country of riches, said to be located in South America. The name comes from the Spanish phrase “el dorado”, which translates to “the golden”.

Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman rejected claims that the UK’s working conditions were a significant pull factor.

He said: “No – and let’s be clear, the people responsible for this vile trade are the smuggling gangs, who make profit and take advantage of vulnerable people and vulnerable situations. And that is why this Government is so focused on dismantling their criminal operations and preventing these dangerous journeys taking place.”

The mayor of Wimereux, a French coastal town where migrants were filmed setting off for the UK from the beach a day after the tragedy, pleaded for French and British officials to do more to limit the number of migrants attempting the crossing.

“Unfortunately, every day is like this for us. The smugglers – a criminal network – continue with insistence to send people to their deaths in the Channel. It really is unacceptable, scandalous, and it is high time that a lasting solution is found with Britain,” said Jean-Luc Dubaele.

“Let’s ask ourselves the question: Why do they want to go to Britain? Because something is drawing them there. They can ask for asylum in France. None ask for the right to asylum in France. They all want to go to Britain. So it is high time that we sit around a table with the new British Government.”

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On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister is appalled by the horrific deaths in the Channel, and we reiterate that this is a painful reminder of the violence these gangs deploy to take advantage of vulnerable people.

“We have no plans to be part of an EU scheme on asylum, but we will continue to work with European partners to shut down people-smuggling and smash these criminal gangs.”

A manslaughter investigation has been opened in Tuesday’s 12 deaths at sea as judicial police try to find the people-smugglers who provided the faulty dinghy, the bottom of which tore apart under the pressure of the 65 on board in rough seas.

The smugglers are thought to have charged those on board the equivalent of £1,000 a head for a place on the boat, which was just 26ft long.

The latest deaths mean at least 37 people have died in Channel crossings so far this year, compared with 12 for the whole of last year. The worst previous incident was in November 2021 when 27 people died after their inflatable dinghy capsized.