Andy Burnham offering Spain ‘what help we can’ with border crisis
The Spanish government has condemned a ‘selfish’ and ‘polarising’ reaction from some EU countries after 67 people reportedly died when 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta.
Andy Burnham has offered Spain “what help we can” after around 60,000 migrants breached the border of Ceuta, a Spanish territory in north Africa, in one of the largest mass crossings in recent years.
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The Prime Minister said he had spoken to his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sánchez, as he attended a rally following Labour’s victory in the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election on Saturday.
“I have been in touch with the Spanish prime minister and (we are) providing what help we can,” Mr Burnham told reporters, offering few further details on the nature of the assistance.
His remarks came as Spain moved to reinforce the frontier, installing a new barrier stretching from the breakwater fence out into the sea after Thursday and Friday’s breach.
Spain’s interior ministry said most of those who crossed from neighbouring Morocco had now returned, but the episode has intensified pressure on Madrid over migration and border security.
Read more: What is behind the surge in migrants reaching Spain’s Ceuta enclave?
Mr Sánchez visited Ceuta on Friday, describing the incursion as “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity” and vowing a firm response from the authorities.
At least 67 migrants have died in the incident, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede as they attempted to scale the breakwater barrier, the Spanish government said.
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, visited the territory on Saturday and said he had spoken to migrants who made clear they intended to reach Britain.
Spanish officials have pushed back against calls from some European leaders for Madrid to be suspended from the EU’s borderless Schengen zone, with Mr Sánchez saying such demands were “driven by prejudice, fake news, ignorance, or political interest”.
Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the interior minister, said Spain remained “relentless against those who break the law”, as the government sought to restore control of the frontier.
The episode is likely to reignite debate in Westminster over UK border policy and the pressures facing European neighbours, with opposition parties expected to press the Prime Minister for further detail on the help being offered.
Mr Burnham’s government faces growing scrutiny over its approach to migration, even as it seeks to present a united front with EU partners in managing one of the continent’s most acute border crises in years.