after the 'New Jungle' site was branded an 'intolerable humanitarian scandal' by activist groups

A leading French MP has blamed Britain's 'black jobs market' for attracting thousands of migrants to Calais, saying there is a 'problem with the English' that allows people to work in the UK without identity papers.

Former employment minister Xavier Bertrand challenged David Cameron to tackle the issue and accused him of hypocrisy because England 'have a cheap labour market because illegal immigrants are paid so much less'.

The criticism came as the French government announced it will make the 'New Jungle' migrant camp near the port town of Calais a permanent fixture by providing running water and electricity to the site.

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Mess: In response to criticism from the UN and aid groups about the conditions in the camp, France vowed to spend €500,000 (£360,000) improving the 'New Jungle' camp, which lies close to the English Channel

Hopeless: The controversial 'New Jungle' shanty town is currently home to 3,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East

Making a run for it: Most of those living in the camp hope to enter Britain illegally by storming lorries parked close to the port before they are loaded onto ferries and cross the Channel

In response to criticism from the UN and aid groups about the conditions in the camp, France vowed to spend €500,000 (£360,000) improving the camp, which lies close to the English Channel.

The controversial 'New Jungle' shanty town is currently home to 3,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, who hope to enter Britain illegally by storming lorries parked close to the port before they are loaded onto ferries and cross the Channel.

The decision to make the camp 'official' by spending hundreds of thousands of euros on its infrastructure is bound to stoke tensions with both Britain and local residents, many of are furious at the impact migration is having on the town.

Just this weekend a gang savagely attacked a group of male migrants in the town with metal bars., according to The Independent.

Police have confirmed they are investigating whether the attack was carried out by local right wing activists, rival migrants, or members of criminal gangs involved in people trafficking.

But just a week earlier, a far right protest group called Sauvons Calais (Let's Save Calais) marched through the town carrying placards reading: 'Calais, a clean town dirtied by immigration.'

News of the 'New Jungle' makeover provoked a furious response from Mr Bertrand, who told France3 television: 'This means the English - and here is the hypocrisy - have a cheap labour market because illegal immigrants are paid so much less.'

'If Mr Cameron wants to hold a debate about the European Union, he should first stop this hypocrisy.

'It's not an 'a la carte' EU where you can choose only the bits of it you want...We need to say very clearly to people who arrive in Europe that there are no more jobs or welfare benefits here.'

Desperate: Many living in the New Jungle camp have already made the perilous boat crossing across the Mediterranean in recent months, having fled conflicts in Syria, Libya and sub-Saharan Africa

Condemned: The camp has been branded a 'intolerable humanitarian scandal', as well as a 'government-sanctioned slum' by activist groups

EU TO LAUNCH SURVEILLANCE MISSIONS AGAINST MEDITERRANEAN PEOPLE TRAFFICKERS 'WITHIN DAYS' EU foreign ministers have formally approved the launch of the first phase of a military operation to target people smugglers in the Mediterranean, officials said. The initial ships and aircraft to conduct intelligence gathering missions should be available within a week, officials said. EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said the 28-nation bloc had responded quickly to the crisis washing up on its southern shores. 'I am impressed by the unanimity and speed with which we have put this together,' Mogherini said as she arrived to chair the foreign ministers meeting. The decision comes after serious differences among member states over how to handle the thousands of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, with Italy, Greece and Malta bearing the brunt of the burden. The loss of up to 800 people in April when their rickety boat sank forced the issue after the bloc late last year had actually scaled down its search and rescue operations off southern Italy to Rome's dismay. Advertisement

Mr Bertrand also called for a 'maritime blockade' of the Mediterranean to stop migrants arriving on boats from Libya.

The MP for Nicolas Sarkozy's new right-wing Republican Party is known for his outspoken views on migrants in France.

Three years ago, he said that Muslim women who hide their faces behind veils should be stripped of their French citizenship.

But respected Labour MP Ian Austin, a former member of the home affairs select committee, slammed the French MP’s remarks.

He told MailOnline: 'It’s outrageous that the French are blaming us for problems at Calais when this is a French problem.

'It’s common sense that illegal immigrants living in Calais should be processed in France, and then dealt with there, instead of spending a fortune on new facilities in Calais so they can make repeated attempts to enter Britain illegally.'

With electricity, water, toilets and permanent shelters, the New Jungle shanty town will be the first official migrant camp near Calais since the Red Cross' Sangatte site closed in December 2002.

The changes come as conditions in the camp dramatically worsened in recent months, with food, blankets and shelter in short supply as the number of migrants living there jumped from 2,000 to 3,000 since the beginning of the year.

The camp - which is also known as 'Jungle 2' - has been branded an 'intolerable humanitarian scandal', as well as a 'government-sanctioned slum' by activist groups.

Many living in the New Jungle camp have already made the perilous boat crossing across the Mediterranean in recent months, having fled conflicts in Syria, Libya and sub-Saharan Africa.

Others have arrived by land, often travelling from places like Afghanistan via the Balkans.

Rivals: A fight breaks out between Eritrean and Sudanese gangs at the camp in the French port town of Calais

Anger: News of the camp being made 'official' prompted leading French MP Xavier Bertrand (pictured) to blame Britain's 'black jobs market' for the migrant problem on France's northern Channel coast

Britain has long objected to the presence of a migrant camp so close to Calais' ferry port, which it has branded a 'magnet' for those wishing to illegally cross into the UK.

But Calais mayor Natacha Bouchart also recently blamed Britain's 'black market economy' and 'cushy benefits system' for the illegal immigrant crisis in her town.

She said the UK should be forced to abandon border checks for travellers arriving from Europe to help move the migrants away.

Ms Bouchart said: 'They want to go to England because they can expect better conditions on arrival there than anywhere else in Europe or even internationally.

'There are no ID cards. They can easily find work outside the formal economy, which is not really controlled.

'Calais is a hostage to the British. The migrants come here to get to Britain... The situation here is barely manageable. The UK border should be moved from Calais to the English side of the Channel because we're not here to do their jobs.'

The news comes as Switzerland threatened to close its borders to migrants and accused Italy of failing to deal with refugees coming into Europe after fleeing war-torn countries.

Shelter: Many living in the New Jungle camp have already made the perilous boat crossing across the Mediterranean in recent months, having fled conflicts in Syria, Libya and sub-Saharan Africa

Improvements: France has announced it will make the 'New Jungle' migrant camp a permanent fixture by providing running water and electricity to the site

At rest: Britain has long objected to the presence of a migrant camp so close to Calais' ferry port, which it has branded a 'magnet' for those wishing to illegally cross into the UK

THE MIGRANT CATCHER: FARMER CLAIMS HE HAS BEEN FORCED TO ROUND UP 'HUNDREDS' OF PEOPLE AND TAKE THEM TO POLICE A farmer is taking the migrant crisis into his own hands by rounding up 'hundreds' of suspected stowaways who he claims are hiding in his fields. Chris Gadsden, who lives 125 miles away from Dover, says he has collared up to 50 migrants in the past month alone as part of his one-man patrol on his land in rural Bedfordshire. The 60-year-old claims the suspected illegal immigrants traipse through his land after being dropped off at the nearby M1 services, which are 400 yards away. Mr Gadsden - who found one man hiding in a drain pipe - then rounds up the alleged criminals before handing them over to police and even sometimes driving them to the station himself. The father-of-four said the sheer number of suspected illegal immigrants on his land - which he said included 30 Somalis just last week - demonstrates how quickly the problem is spreading into the British countryside. He said: 'There's been hundreds of them, and they're just the ones I've seen. There's supposed to be a system in place to stop them sneaking in but it obviously isn't working, so I have to do what I can. 'It's not a race thing. My problem is they're sneaking in and breaking our laws.' Advertisement

Norman Gobbi, the head of the cantonal government of Ticino, told NZZ Sonntag: 'If the influx of refugees from Italy continues, we will have to temporarily close the border.'

'It's the only way for Switzerland to put pressure on other countries that do not respect their obligations,' he added.

He went on to say that the number of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants crossing into Switzerland from over the border from Italy is now double what it was just one year ago.

Gobbi pointed out that massive increase in migrants arriving in Switzerland came after France closed its own border with Italy to migrants.

He reserved special criticism for the Italian government, however, saying it had failed to honour the terms of the Dublin Regulation, which requires that the first country in the EU where an asylum seeker arrives is responsible for dealing with his or her claim.

Gobbi suggested that by allowing migrants to simply pass through Italy on to wealthier nations, the Swiss cannon of Ticino had effectively become the 'southern border of Germany'.

So far in 2015, Switzerland has reportedly detained more than 3,000 people for unlawfully staying in Switzerland - and official estimates suggest that in total more than 30,000 people with apply for asylum in Switzerland by the end of the year - the highest number since 1999.

Roughly 95 per cent of these asylum seekers arrive in Switzerland by train - most coming via Italy.

A large number of these are swiftly sent back to Italy, but as the Italian government is failing to process the application or register the details of many of the individuals, the authorities are rarely prepared for the arrival.