French minister says: Brexit could bring Calais refugee camp to UK

The Calais "jungle" refugee camp could be relocated to Britain if the UK chooses to leave the European Union, according to France's economy minister. In an interview with the Financial Times, Emmanuel Macron warned that Brexit would threaten the bilateral relationship between the UK and France. He said the Le Touquet Agreement, which allows British authorities to conduct border checks on the French side of the Channel, thereby keeping illegal migrants out, could be scuppered if the UK decides leaves the EU.

France's economy minister Emmanuel Macron stated:
The day this relationship unravels, migrants will no longer be in Calais and the financial passport would work less well.

The newspaper also reported that Mr Macron believes many financial services workers will leave London for France once their institutions lose the "passport" rights to work across the EU. "If I were to reason like those who roll out red carpets, I would say we might have some repatriations from the City of London," Mr Macron said. Mr Macron's comments echo sentiments expressed by Downing Street last month, when it claimed the Calais camp could move to England's south overnight if Britain leaves the EU. Demolition teams and riot officers moved into the Calais camp this week to clear migrants, refugees and activists from the site. The forced removals led to violence on Monday, with some people attacking police with rocks.