French plan 'Sangatte II' for immigrants
PLANS to use EU cash to help build a £4.3million day centre for migrants in Calais hoping to reach Britain were blasted yesterday.
Immigrants being escorted out of the original Sangatte
The French government wants a £3million grant from Brussels towards the cost of the centre, which will have room for 400 people and serve 700 meals a day. Critics have compared the project to the notorious Sangatte camp near Calais, which closed in 2002 amid claims that it was a magnet for thousands of migrants.
Tory MP Michael Ellis warned: “There is a danger that these facilities will be an encouragement to migrants. The French should be doing everything to discourage migrants from coming to Calais.” Labour’s Keith Vaz, chairman of the home affairs committee, said: “What will be created is a new Sangatte. It will attract migrants.”