GB News has issued a breaking news alert over the migrant crisis in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, a development that could put Prime Minister Andy Burnham under pressure to strengthen the UK border.
Around 60,000 migrants swam and trekked to Ceuta within 24 hours on Thursday, in what has been described as the biggest ever one-day surge of illegal migrants into the European Union. The majority of those who arrived have now returned to Morocco.
Burnham under pressure
Speaking on Saturday, Burnham said: "I have been in touch with the Spanish prime minister and (we are) providing what help we can." But his government is facing growing scrutiny over its approach to migration.
International human rights lawyer David Haigh told GB News: "We still haven't got a proper plan in place of what to do with both the econimics migrants and the genuine asylum seekers."
EU states call for stronger borders
While Burnham said he would offer support to Spain, 22 out of 27 EU countries have signed a letter calling for joint action to strengthen external borders and tackle and prevent encouraging irregular migration.
Haigh continued: "What happened in Spain earlier on in Ceuta, that's not an issue about weather, that's an issue about court case in Spain that made it easier for people to cross and not be returned, that's why it caused this problem in the first place. That's political issues, but it also affects the whole of Europe. This is a European and worldwide problem and the solution is going to be a European and a worldwide one."
No migrants reached mainland
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said none of the 60,000 migrants who arrived in Ceuta managed to go on to reach mainland Spain or the rest of the EU. She added that the "vast majority" of those who had arrived illegally in recent days had now returned to Morocco.
Haigh said he believed the migrants will "ultimately find a way" to reach the UK. He said the crisis was mostly fuelled by misleading marketing campaigns on TikTok and social media, with people smugglers trying to "cash in" on illegal labour. "They essentially want the ticket fee and there's a lot of criminal underworld activity wants people to be brought into countries like the UK, the illegal labour, that's what they're after," he explained.
PM urged to set out plan
HuffPost journalist Kevin Schofield urged Burnham to act, saying his priorities on the crisis remain "unclear". He said: "The Prime Minister needs to set out his stall pretty quickly so we know he's not going to roll back on what the previous government had been trying to do."
Schofield added: "It is a perception among voters that he's maybe a little bit soft when it comes to immigration. I think it's one of the many areas where we still have to get a bit more meat on the bones on where Andy Burnham's position lies."
The PM suggested there could be an outline of his own migrant policy as he announced: "I will make a visit shortly to Border Force to see the situation myself."
