Francois Hollande demands Britain take in 1,500 child migrants during phone call to Theresa May that threatens to spark new diplomatic row
Some 5,000 people were evacuated from the Jungle following its closure this week
FRENCH President Francois Hollande has called upon Britain to take in 1,500 child migrants who remain in a special shelter in Calais following the closure of the notorious Jungle camp.
Up to 6,000 people were evacuated from the Jungle and taken 450 reception centres across France this week.
Now, Hollande has been forced to play down concerns the closure of the camp has driven its residents to the pavements of Paris - blaming a "new migratory current coming from Libya" for the new camps sprouting up in the capital.
Meanwhile, speaking to Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday, Hollande urged British authorities to do their part to settle the 1,500 unaccompanied minors in the UK.
He said: "I talked yesterday with the British prime minister, as (French Interior Minister) Bernard Cazeneuve did with his British counterpart, so that the British can go to those centres with those minors and take their share (of responsibility) to welcome them in Britain."
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He added: "We cannot tolerate camps.
"It cannot be a long-lasting solution."
Hollande has insisted France will shelter asylum-seekers and deport those without the right to asylum. The migrants in Calais and Paris include war refugees, as well as people fleeing poverty and seeking jobs.
But according to EU rules, Britain must take in unaccompanied children who have family ties here. An amendment to those rules adopted in Britain this year states such minors whose best interests are served by doing so should also be admitted.
France said on Thursday Britain has already accepted 274 children.
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