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New Calais asylum plan 'would not work' - Sir Peter Ricketts

Former British Ambassador to Paris on why asylum deal would act as 'magnet' for migrants.

A deal to allow migrants in Calais to lodge their claim for UK asylum in France would worsen the situation by acting as a "magnet" that would pull thousands more migrants to the area, says Sir Peter Ricketts, former British Ambassador to Paris.

The president of the region, Xavier Bertrand, said he wanted a new deal in which migrants could apply for UK asylum at a "hotspot" in France rather than having to wait to reach British soil. Anyone rejected would be deported directly to their country of origin.

(Image: Calais camp. Credit: AFP/ Getty Images.)

12 minutes

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