The former head of Britain's intelligence agency has warned the European Union faces a 'populist uprising' if it fails to take control of its migration crisis.

Speaking at a special BBC conference on migration, former MI6 director Sir Richard Dearlove said the number of migrant arrivals in Europe over the next five years could run into the millions, adding it would result in extremist politics gaining ground.

"If Europe cannot act together to persuade a significant majority of its citizens that it can gain control of its migratory crisis then the EU will find itself at the mercy of a populist uprising, which is already stirring," he told the BBC's World on the Move conference.

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“The geopolitical impact is set to reshape Europe’s political landscape as those citizens who feel, rationally or not, that their interests and cultural identity are threatened assert their influence.

“This has already happened in Austria with the resurgence of the defunct Freedom party. Other extreme right populist parties in other European countries will follow.”

Turkish deal "perverse"

Sir Richard also warned against the EU's proposed deal with Turkey.

Ankara has agreed to stem the flow of migrants arriving in Europe, in return for a deal that could lead to Turkish citizens gaining visa-free access to parts of Europe.

Describing the deal as "perverse", Sir Richard compared it to "storing gasoline next to the fire we're trying to extinguish".

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Negotiations between Turkey and the EU have stalled after the Turkish government refused to amend its anti-terror laws.

Sir Richard argued the EU's $2.7 billion commitment to addressing the root causes of African migration made more sense. But more money and time will be needed.

"In the real world there are no miraculous James Bond-style solutions," he said. "Human tides are irresistible unless the gravitational pull that causes them is removed."

Star power

Hollywood actress and UN special envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt also emphasised the dangers of a political backlash at the conference.

"Fear of uncontrolled migration has eroded public confidence and the ability of governments and international institutions to control the situation," she said. "It has given space to a false air of legitimacy to those who promote politics of fear and separation."

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Ms Jolie Pitt said the "number of conflicts and scale of displacement had grown so large" the system to protect and return refugees was not working.

She added that more than 60 million people were displaced globally: more than at any time in the past 70 years.

"This tells us something deeply worrying about the peace and security of the world," she said. "The average time a person will be displaced is now nearly 20 years."

More than a million people entered Europe last year.