BRITAIN can never rely on the French to stop small boats as Emmanuel Macron will never forgive Brexit, Robert Jenrick declared today.
In an astonishing broadside at our nearest neighbours, the Tory leadership contender accused the French president of not "caring” about Channel crossings.
He went on the attack after The Sun revealed a secret proposal he made while immigration minister for Britain to PAY France for us to take their successful asylum seekers and return illegals.
The highly controversial “one-in, one-out” swap was offered to France by Rishi Sunak but rejected by Macron.
Confronted with the leaked Home Office letter live on Never Mind The Ballots, Mr Jenrick said it was a “short time-limited intervention” to break the incentive for migrants to cross.
He said: “What was shameful about that incident was that, as I understand it, Rishi Sunak put it to President Macron, and he rejected it.
“He wouldn't even give it a hearing, because he didn't want to fix this problem, probably as a punishment for Brexit.”
Saying Paris “don’t care” about helping, the Tory hardliner let rip: “The French could stop this tomorrow… but what I learned is you cannot rely on the French.”
The Government is currently paying France around £500million for Calais’ cops to patrol their beaches and intercept the boats.
But despite the eye-watering sums of taxpayer cash illegal migration is still as high as last year.
The leaked letter today sparked a huge row, with Kemi Badenoch's team branding Mr Jenrick weak on immigration.
A campaign source said: "Jenrick claims that he was radicalised in the Home Office.
"But this shows that a few months before he flounced out of government he was proposing to swap migrants with France, which would have done nothing to reduce overall numbers, and casting doubt on the Rwanda scheme, which would have provided an effective deterrent.
"Rob's late conversion to hardline immigration policies isn't fooling anyone."
But the swap deal was praised by former Border Force boss Tony Smith who has been pushing for a deal with France.
He said: “I’ve said from the start that the best way to stop the boats altogether would be to do a deal with the French on returns, and Jenrick was right to attempt it.
“Fact is the French would never agree as they say that any deal must go to the EU, who will never agree to it.
“But if we could send migrants back to France we could save lives and cut the smuggling business model at a stroke.
“Without this and with the Rwanda deterrent gone, I fear the boats will keep coming, and more people will drown.”
Mr Jenrick said only his flagship pledge to leave the European Convention of Human Rights would end the crisis.
And he said any Tory candidate standing for the party under his leadership would have to sign up to quitting the Strasbourg court.
He is facing off against bitter rival Ms Badenoch in the final round of the Tory leadership election.
Around 150,000 party members will pick the winner with a result announced on November 2.
