Prime minister’s vow comes as increased police presence and media attention discourage mass movement but hundreds still try to enter Eurotunnel terminal

David Cameron has vowed to throw more illegal migrants out of Britain as a deterrent, blaming the Calais crisis on “a swarm of people” trying to escape north Africa in an attempt to come to the UK.



The prime minister’s phrasing has been criticised by the Refugee Council as more migrants continued their attempts to reach Britain from Calais via the Channel tunnel over Wednesday night and into the early hours of Thursday morning, a day after a man was crushed to death under a truck.

Speaking to ITV News in Vietnam, Cameron vowed to do more to protect Britain’s borders. He said: “We have to deal with the problem at source and that is stopping so many people from travelling across the Mediterranean in search of a better life. That means trying to stabilise the countries from which they come, it also means breaking the link between travelling and getting the right to stay in Europe.

Calais migrant crisis: chaos will continue until weekend at least, police warn Read more

“This is very testing, I accept that, because you have got a swarm of people coming across the Mediterranean seeking a better life, wanting to come to Britain because Britain has got jobs, it’s got a growing economy, it’s an incredible place to live. But we need to protect our borders by working hand in glove with our neighbours, the French, and that is exactly what we are doing.”

The Refugee Council said the phrasing was “awful, dehumanising language from a world leader”, while Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham called it “nothing short of disgraceful”.

Andy Burnham (@andyburnhammp) Cameron calling Calais migrants a "swarm" is nothing short of disgraceful. Confirms there's no dog-whistle these Bullingdon Boys won't blow.

There have been calls from MPs and tabloid newspapers for the British army to be deployed to tackle the crisis, but the home secretary, Theresa May, has said the priority is to install security fencing.

On Monday, about 2,000 attempts were made to get to the tunnel, then 1,500 more on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, Eurotunnel said.

No one succeeded on Tuesday, but it is believed almost 150 people made it through to the UK on Monday.

One man, believed to be a Sudanese national, was killed on Tuesday night. Nine people have died attempting to cross the Channel in the past month, according to Eurotunnel.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Police stop scores of migrants at the Channel tunnel terminal in Calais.

On Wednesday night and into the early hours of Thursday, the number of people making an attempt to enter Britain appears to have reduced significantly amid increased police numbers and media presence. French police sent 120 more officers on Wednesday.

Despite the risks, hundreds of migrants – some looking as young as 13 or 14 – gathered for a third night along the fence to the freight terminal in Coquelles, lingering into the early hours of Thursday as they sought a way through.



Scores of migrants engaged in a potentially deadly game of cat and mouse along the several kilometres of fencing that surrounds the terminal. Groups of up to 30 or 40 people gathered looking for an unguarded section or potential weak point.

Television crews filmed as about 15 people climbed through a hole in the wire and used clothes to help them jump over the first of two fences. When French police arrived in riot vans, some of the migrants were rounded up while three or four made a dash towards parked lorries.

Migrant camps around Calais. Migrant camps around Calais.

Ali, 18, from Sudan, who has been in Calais for two months, said: “There are too many police and too many journalists tonight. Last night many people got in, but it is getting more and more difficult.”



As a line of police moved up to clear a section of the security fence surrounding the Eurotunnel terminal, one migrant, Abdul, watched from the grass verge. The 17-year-old from Eritrea said he had spent most nights for the past six weeks trying to find a way into the terminal and on to a train or lorry bound for the UK.

But on Thursday morning his heart was not in it. “A friend of mine, Omar, died there last week,” he said, pointing through the fence. “He climbed on to a train and then it began to move and he fell off and he died.”

Migrants say many fatalities go unpublicised. The situation is part of the wider crisis that has seen more than 185,000 people crossing the Mediterranean into southern Europe since January. Most will try to claim asylum in other EU countries – Germany and Sweden top the list, with the UK further than halfway down. But some will end up among the 3,000 people at Calais risking their lives to get to the UK.

Eurotunnel said the situation at the terminal outside Calais has become unmanageable as migrants make repeated attempts to break into the compound and on to lorries and trains bound for the UK. British politicians have reacted by promising increased funding to secure the terminal with more surveillance and extra fencing.

Calais increasingly resembles a fortress. Hundreds of metres of high fences topped with razor wire are being erected along the motorways, while more fences and a new secure parking zone have been promised.

The latest breaches of the tunnel caused delays of up to three hours for passengers travelling from Eurotunnel’s UK terminal in the early hours, the operator said, adding that it had suspended ticket sales for those who had not made a reservation.

Kent police said Operation Stack – where freight traffic is parked on the M20 when Channel crossings are disrupted – is expected to last into the weekend.

Echoing calls made on Wednesday by the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, the Road Haulage Association called for the French army to help handle the crisis, which it said was putting the lives of British lorry drivers at risk.

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Kevin Hurley, the police and crime commissioner for Surrey, said Gurkha soldiers based at Shorncliffe barracks in Folkestone should be deployed.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Farage was asked if he himself would use the word “swarm” to describe the migrants in Calais.

He said: “No. No, I’m not seeking to use language like that. The prime minister is trying to sound tough. Whether he actually means it or not is quite a separate question.”

Cameron said he sympathised with British holidaymakers and promised they would get through. “Obviously it’s important for people to check all the websites for details of the current situation. Of course people really look forward to their annual holidays and I have friends and family that are using this route, I know how important it is and we will do everything we can to help make sure that people can have a safe and secure holiday.”

The prime minister ruled out providing work permits to the migrants, declaring he was committed to “making sure that it is less easy for illegal migrants to stay in Britain. That is why we are passing legislation, we have done this very recently, to make sure you can’t get a driving licence, you can’t rent a house, you can’t take out a bank account, and we will remove more illegal migrants from our country so people know it’s not a safe haven once you’re there.”



