Macron tells UK to ‘get serious’ on migrant crisis

PARIS, Nov 26 (Reuters)-French President Emmanuel Macron told Britain on Friday it needed to “get serious” or remain locked out of discussions over how to curb the flow of migrants escaping war and poverty across the Channel.

France cancelled an invitation to British Home Secretary Priti Patel to attend a meeting on the issue in Calais, underlining how fraught its ties with Britain have become, with post-Brexit trading rules and fishing rights also at stake.

Boris Johnson’s spokesman said the British prime minister was taking the issue “extremely seriously” and said he hoped France would reconsider its decision to cancel Patel’s invite.

The row erupted after the death of 27 migrants trying to cross the narrow seaway between the two countries, the worst tragedy on record in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

“I’m surprised when things are not done seriously. We don’t communicate between leaders via tweets or published letters, we are not whistle-blowers. Come on. Come on,” Macron told a news conference in Rome.