Channel migrants latest news: Boris Johnson is not handling current crisis 'seriously', claims Emmanuel Macron

• 'My wife was on the boat. I tracked the GPS... then it disappeared'

• Johnson urged Macron to get British guards on French beaches next week

• Smuggler shot migrant in the kneecaps when he refused to board boat

• Nick Timothy: Macron could solve the migrant crisis if he wanted

• Covid news: Red list returns amid 'super-variant' fears

Emmanuel Macron has lashed out at Boris Johnson as "not serious" after the Prime Minister shared a letter to the French president online in which he called on him to take back Channel migrants.

He spoke hours after the letter prompted Gérald Darmanin, the French interior minister, to disinvite his British counterpart Priti Patel from a meeting on Sunday in Calais between ministers from France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the European Commission.

"I'm surprised when things are not done seriously, we don't communicate between leaders via tweets or published letters, we are not whistle-blowers. Come on," he said during a joint conference with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

"From my part, I intend to continue doing what I do with all countries and all leaders. So, ministers will work seriously to tackle a serious question, with serious people... then we will see with the Brits how we can act effectively, if they decide to be serious."

Mr Johnson had called for a 'return agreement' which would see those who arrive on UK shores illegally sent back to France and joint patrols on the beaches of France.

Appearing on Sky News, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, insisted action is required on French beaches and "we can only do many of these things working with the French".

​​Follow the latest updates below.

11:35 AM

'The EU must suspend Schengen until it can secure its borders'

Little about the fallout from the latest tragedy in the English Channel has been edifying, but Emmanuel Macron’s call for a meeting of European ministers is informative, writes Henry Hill.

The President naturally has every incentive to try and present the issue as an EU problem, given that the alternative is that it’s a French problem. No harm in attempting to kick the blame up to a level where it is famously difficult to hold anybody democratically accountable.

But such motives don’t mean that he doesn’t have a point. The small boats crisis in the Channel is just one part of a much bigger problem to which the EU is still struggling to find an answer.

This situation could get much worse over the next few years, most obviously when the wave of people fleeing Afghanistan starts to reach the frontiers of Europe over the next few years.

Yet EU policies, especially the Schengen free-movement area, exacerbate the problem. Countries such as Greece, Italy and Poland face huge pressures because they are de facto policing the borders of Germany and France, where the vast majority of the migrants want to end up - even if it is as a staging post on the way to Britain.

Henry Hill: The small boats crisis forms part of a seismic European problem

11:19 AM

An audience with the Pope

Emmanuel Macron has met Pope Francis at the Vatican after signing a bilateral treaty with Italy prior to his arrival at the Vatican.

The meeting was scheduled to allow the Pope and Mr Macron to discuss relations between France and the Vatican in the fight "against obscurantism" and in "solidarity in the face of the climate and epidemic challenge".

The Pope will draw attention to asylum seekers and refugees during a visit to Greece next month.

11:05 AM

French government: Britain a migrant magnet that must start 'applying its rules'

The spokesman for the French government has said Britain acts as a magnet to migrants because they knew they faced little risk of being sent back to their countries of origin, Henry Samuel reports from France.

Gabriel Attal slammed Mr Johnson’s letter to President Macron as "both poor in substance and totally inappropriate in style".

He said: "It is poor in substance because it does not respect all the work that is done by our coastguards, by our police officers, by our rescue workers who are mobilised on a daily basis. 7,800 people have been saved from drowning since the start of the year thanks to their efforts."

France is now fed up with Britain "externalising problems", Mr Attal added, and asked whether Boris Johnson did not regret leaving the EU "because whenever there is a problem, he considers that Europe must handle it".

"You know why you have migrants who want to go to Britain? Firstly because you have bosses in Britain who totally use the migrant in ultra-precarious jobs so obviously that lures the migrants," he said.

"And they go to Britain because Britain enforces its laws much less than France, and sends (illegal migrants) out of the country much less than France. They should start by applying their rules, they should start by cooperating, they should start by helping us to dismantle the trafficking networks.”

10:52 AM

'My wife was on the boat. I tracked the GPS ... then it disappeared’

The husband of an Iraqi-Kurdish woman has told of his fears that she drowned in the Channel tragedy, after her GPS signal suddenly disappeared as he was tracking her across the sea.

Maryam Nuri is believed by her family to have been among 27 migrants who died when their flimsy boat capsized and sank six miles off the coast of Calais in rough seas and cold weather.

On Thursday, French lifeboatmen told how they dragged the bodies of the victims from the sea, including 17 men, seven women - one of whom was pregnant - and three children. Pictures also emerged of the crumpled boat, likened to a “paddling pool” floating in the Channel.

The husband of Mrs Nuri, who was known as Baran and came from Ranya in northern Iraq, was among those desperately waiting for news of their missing loved ones.

Her husband, a Kurdish immigrant living in the UK, tearfully told how he had been tracking his wife as she travelled across the Channel to join him, before her signal abruptly disappeared just over four hours into her journey.

Full story: Husband tells of his anguish as he fears his spouse drowned

10:37 AM

Afghan teenagers fear five of their friends are among those who died

A group of Afghan teenagers in a French camp yesterday revealed that they feared five of their friends were among those who died in the tragedy.

Hassan, 30, said a group of his friends decided to cross on Wednesday and that he has not heard from them since.

There are fears for two Afghan youngsters who have been missing since Wednesday.

10:27 AM

'Macron could solve the migrant crisis if he wanted'

It is a mystery of politics that those who claim Britain is a small, irrelevant country always insist we have a unique responsibility to solve the world’s problems, notes Nick Timothy.

Nick Timothy: A deal with France is feasible - but we need emergency action if it is not to be

10:14 AM

Macron sees red over letter as Boris Johnson told 'we are sick of double-speak'

France is continuing to deliver a scathing response to the publication of Boris Johnson's letter to Emmanuel Macron, which was posted to social media.

It has already led to the breakdown of negotiations that were scheduled to take place this weekend between Priti Patel and Gerald Darmanin, the French interior minister.

Now the spokesman for the French Government has doubled down, branding the Prime Minister's actions "unacceptable".

"We are sick of double-speak," Gabriel Attal said, claiming that a returns agreement is "clearly not what we need to solve this problem".

He said the letter "doesn't correspond at all" with the conversations between Mr Johnson and Mr Macron on Wednesday.

10:02 AM

France cancels Priti Patel's invite to migrant talks as it labels Johnson letter a 'disappointment'

France has disinvited Priti Patel from migrant talks as it labelled a letter from Boris Johnson which demanded new measures "a disappointment".

The Prime Minister had written to Emmanuel Macron last night calling for a 'returns agreement' which would see those who arrive on UK shores illegally sent back to France. He also offered joint patrols on French beaches as early as next week.

However, Gérald Darmanin, the French interior minister, wrote to Priti Patel to say that a meeting on Sunday will now proceed without British involvement.

In a message seen by the AFP news agency, Darmanin told Ms Patel that Mr Johnson's letter was a "disappointment".

He wrote: "Making it public made it even worse. I therefore need to cancel our meeting in Calais on Sunday."

09:43 AM

Scrap the Human Rights Act or more people will die in the Channel, warn Tory MPs

Tory MPs have called for a radical overhaul of the Human Rights Act as Whitehall insiders admitted Priti Patel’s plan to turn back boats carrying migrants would likely break existing law.

One Conservative MP said on Thursday that if the Government was “weak”, more people travelling across the Channel seeking asylum in Britain could die, while a second called for the entire piece of legislation to be scrapped.

Dominic Raab, the recently installed Justice Secretary, is planning reforms to the Human Rights Act, which incorporate into UK law the rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights in 1998.

However, it remains unclear if the changes that are being sought would allow the Government to adopt hardline measures on tackling the arrival of small boats.

Scott Benton, the Tory MP for Blackpool South, who was elected in 2019, said the deadliest day of the crisis on record underlines "why we need to do everything possible to make these dangerous routes unviable", including scrapping the Human Rights Act.

Ben Riley Smith, our Political Editor, has the full story

09:26 AM

Shadow home secretary: Boris Johnson is out of control

Boris Johnson is "out of control", Labour's shadow home secretary has told Times Radio in the party's most scathing comments on the handling of the Channel crisis to date.

"It's clearly an enormous error," Nick Thomas-Symonds said. "This is a Prime Minister who is out of control. He's lost control of this situation in the English Channel and now appears to have sent a public letter on Twitter asking for greater international talks and ended up being excluded from international talks.

"And it's an error that is one of a number...the Prime Minister has failed to get that effective deal in place with the French authorities that we need."

Mr Thomas-Symonds added that, while he did not necessarily disagree with the substance of the letter, the Prime Minister was making demands about topics that "should have already been negotiated".

"Clearly the thing that was noticeable about that letter was the way that it was done in public, which now appears to be such a misjudgement."

09:15 AM

Smuggler shot migrant in the kneecaps when he refused to board boat

Smugglers shot a scared migrant in the kneecaps after he refused to board a boat on the same night 27 people died trying to cross the English Channel.

Volunteers in the Calais jungle migrant camp rushed to the aid of a 20-year-old man who was “quickly losing a lot of blood” after a smuggler became frustrated at his refusal to board the vessel and drew a gun on him.

The smuggler felt he had “lost out on easy money,” volunteers said, as the gangs are believed to only receive the full fee for transporting migrants once they have arrived in the UK. The assailant is on the run, according to French media reports.

After attending to the man, who was taken to hospital by French medics, volunteers returned to the camp to the news that 27 people - including women and children - had drowned crossing the Channel.

The first pictures emerged last night of the crumpled inflatable boat that was involved in the failed crossing.

Izzy Lyons, Bill Gardner, Rebecca Rosman and Henry Samuel have this report

09:00 AM

'Get real' on severity of Channel crisis, Tory MP urges France

France needs to "get real" about the severity of the situation in the Channel and start talking about possible solutions, a Tory backbencher has urged.

Tim Loughton, the MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, told Sky that he considered the behaviour of President Macron's administration "extraordinary".

"This is a real tragedy, the amazing thing is it's not happened before and it's going to happen again," Mr Loughton said of Wednesday's tragedy in which 27 people drowned.

"We really need to come up with some practical solutions... The Prime Minister has come up with some practical solutions, these are things we've been trying to do for some time. And now the France cancel a meeting and don't even want to talk about it, it's extraordinary.

"The French have got to see that there are consequences for their policy of turning a blind eye, letting thousands of people come across the Channel in this really hazardous way and those consequences ended in tragedy a couple of days ago. They've got to get real about this."

08:46 AM

Publishing Macron letter was an error by Johnson, says shadow home secretary

The shadow home secertary has criticised Boris Johnson for what he sees as an "error of judgement" by choosing to make his letter to Emmanuel Macron public.

"I'm not close enough to the talks between the Prime Minister and the French President to know who's being reasonable, who's being unreasonable," Nick Thomas-Symonds said.

"But I think we can safely say that sending that public letter, that judgement from the Prime Minister that that would help has clearly proven to be in error. Here we are too after the tragic deaths of people in the Channel this week, still unable to get an effective deal with the French authorities."

Mr Thomas-Symonds called for a successor agreement to the Dublin Agreement, the European Union principle which meant migrants could be sent back to the first country that they reached. He also urged ministers to resume the Dubs scheme, which helped unaccompanied refugee children.

Critics of the Dublin Agreement argued that it did not work in practice, especially in light of the EU's Schengen area of free movement.

08:38 AM

Boris Johnson's government 'a reckless caretaker' of international relationships, says Labour

Labour has accused the Government of being a "reckless caretaker" of British ties on the world stage as it urged the Prime Minister to establish more safe routes.

Nick Thomas-Symonds claimed developments this morning signalled another diplomatic spat and that Boris Johnson's demand for joint patrols had already been rejected by France on a number of occasions.

"We have yet another diplomatic spat, yet another example from the Prime Minister of failed negotiations and not getting that effective deal with the French authorities in place that we need.

"I'm afraid this Government is a reckless caretaker of our international relationships and that's what we're seeing now unfortunately."

Asked by Sky News about what he would propose if his party were in power, Mr Thomas-Symonds called for cooperative work to stop traffickers in their tracks.

"What I have been arguing for for some time is that we make a broader offer on joint law enforcement work with the French authorities," he said.

"We need to be working to break the model of these people smuggling gangs and providing safe routes."

08:25 AM

Priti Patel snub is a major blow to France-UK cooperation

Gerald Darmanin move represents a major blow to attempts to build closer cooperation over Channel arrivals, writes Charles Hymas.

It comes amid continuing Anglo-French tensions over Brexit, fishing rights and the recent Australia-UK-US nuclear submarine pact.

Downing Street sees the pact as the best long-term solution to the escalating problem of boat crossings, as it would undercut smugglers promising a route into the UK.

In his letter to Emmanuel Macron, Mr Johnson formally offered hundreds of British personnel to stop desperate migrants from taking to the water.

France has so far fiercely resisted any move to allow British law enforcement officers to operate on its soil, claiming it would violate French sovereignty.

Full report: French minister cancels weekend talks with Priti Patel

08:17 AM

Grant Shapps: I hope France will reconsider

The Transport Secretary has called on France to "reconsider" after it disinvited Priti Patel from discussions that will take place this weekend.

Grant Shapps has said it is in everyone's best interests for Britain and France to continue to cooperate on the issue of illegal crossings.

"I think that quite simply no nation can tackle this alone and I hope that the French will reconsider," Mr Shapps told BBC Breakfast.

" It’s in our interests, it’s in their interests, it’s certainly in the interests of people who have been people trafficked to the UK, people losing their lives.

"We absolutely need to work together and I think that’s the right way forward."

08:11 AM

Boris Johnson's letter is 'unacceptable', says French ministry statement

France's interior ministry has confirmed Priti Patel will no longer be welcome on Sunday as it branded Boris Johnson's letter "unacceptable".

In a statement given to French media, a spokesman for the ministry said: "We consider the British Prime Minister's public letter unacceptable and contrary to our discussions between counterparts.

"Therefore, Priti Patel is no longer invited on Sunday to the inter-ministerial meeting whose format will be: France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and European Commission."

08:00 AM

Channel crisis can only be solved with French help, says Grant Shapps

The Channel crisis can only be solved with help from France, the Transport Secretary has said.

Grant Shapps - who did not appear to be aware that Priti Patel was no longer welcome at Sunday's meeting - said the Government had made a number of offers to its French counterparts.

"The issue is originating from France... it's originating much earlier than France, of course, but they're leaving to come from the UK from France and it does mean the action is required there on the beaches," he told Sky News.

"We can only do many of these things working with the French, and that's why we're appealing to the French to work closely, even closer, with us, it's in all our interests to get on with it.

"We absolutely have to get on top of what is a human tragedy and we can only do that with cooperation from the French."

07:52 AM

Good morning

France has disinvited Priti Patel from migrant talks as it labelled a letter from Boris Johnson which demanded new measures "a disappointment".

Here's the front page of your Daily Telegraph today.