THE prospect of more asylum seekers attempting entry into Britain has been raised after a senior French politician called for France to scrap its deal with the UK, which imposes British border checks on migrants in Calais, unless radical changes are made.

Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France Nord Pas De Calais-Picardie region, which includes Calais, has called for action to deal with the sprawling Jungle migrant camp.

His comments come after Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French leader who is running for his party's nomination for next year's presidential race, called for border controls to be shifted to Britain.

Under the Treaty of Le Touquet, British immigration officials check passports in Calais and their French counterparts do the same in Dover.

Mr Bertrand wants a new deal in which migrants hoping to claim asylum in the UK would be able to do so at a "hotspot" in France. Those who failed would be deported directly to their country of origin.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme he wants a "new treatment" for asylum seekers trying to get to Britain from France.

"Where is it possible to have this kind of treatment? In England or in France? That is the beginning of the discussion.

"If the British Government don't want to open this discussion, we will tell you the Touquet Agreement is over."

Thousands of migrants and asylum seekers are living in cramped makeshift tents in the Jungle camp, where outbreaks of disease are common. They frequently clash with police as they try to sneak into lorries and smuggle themselves into Britain.

John Vine, the former independent inspector of borders and immigration, explained that France and Britain devised the treaty to deal with the previous refugee camp at Sangatte, which was hit by riots in the early 2000s.

"If this arrangement were to end, one of the biggest impacts on us would be potentially a rise in the number of people coming to Britain to claim asylum.

"For the French, of course, the benefits were to rationalise the position they found themselves with with Sangatte and the danger of changing the arrangement for them is that it will encourage, potentially, more people to travel through France if they feel it is easier to get to Britain."

He added: "The arrangement benefits Britain enormously at the moment, so any diminution of the arrangement would have an impact on border control and asylum policy."

Sir Peter Ricketts, the former British ambassador to Paris, said applying the “hotspot” principle as used in Greece and Italy would attract even more refugees trying to get to Britain.

“As soon as you suggested that, there would be a huge magnet pulling thousands and thousands more migrants into Calais to chance their arm, make an asylum claim, hope that they might get to the UK and good luck.

"So it wouldn't help the French deal with the problem of thousands of people in Calais. It might make it worse; it would make it worse, almost certainly."

Last month, Theresa May and Francois Hollande, the French president, affirmed their shared commitment to keeping border controls in Calais.

Under current rules, refugees must register in the first European country they arrive in and this country usually takes charge of their asylum claim.

However, the refugee crisis threw the system into turmoil as hundreds of thousands of migrants poured into a small number of countries such as Greece and Italy.

Charlie Elphicke, the Conservative MP for Dover, said: "The current situation in Calais is shameful. We do need a new and stronger treaty with France. We must work together to dismantle the Jungle migrant camp.

"We need a new Dover Patrol guarding the English Channel to help catch and jail the people traffickers and end their evil trade of modern slavery. And we must work together to protect our truckers, whose lives are being put at risk in Calais.”

Mr Elphicke claimed it would be a big mistake to enable people to apply for UK asylum from France. “It would just make Calais a bigger magnet for migrants,” he declared.

"Axing the treaty altogether would be a disaster for France and Britain. It would simply force the ferries and Tunnel to become border guards, meaning higher ticket prices and longer queues.

"We need order at the border. That means both Britain and France must work together to deal with the causes of the problem once and for all," he added.

Meantime, the UK Parliament's newest MP, Labour's Rosena Allin-Khan, urged UK Government ministers to "breathe the same air" as children suffering in the Calais Jungle to realise the urgent need for extra help.

The MP for Tooting in London insisted Whitehall’s response to the crisis had been "far too slow" with hundreds of unaccompanied youngsters at risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking.

Dr Allin-Khan, who has experience as an international humanitarian aid worker, is preparing to visit the camp in northern France to deliver donations from her constituents while also meeting those involved in projects helping refugees and migrants.

"I've spent many, many years working in refugee camps - I come from a humanitarian aid background - and if anyone were to go and physically live and see and breathe the same air as the people suffering, they may be a lot quicker to act," explained the backbencher.

Asked if she wanted UK Government ministers to see it for themselves more often, Ms Allin-Khan replied: "Yes, I do, I really do. If they want to come with[me], they're more than welcome."

The former accident and emergency doctor said she was unsure how many times ministers had visited the Jungle camp, adding: "But what I would say is we're making such big decisions, they should make sure they inform themselves as far as possible and actually go and see for themselves.”

The Home Office said the Prime Minister when home secretary and James Brokenshire, formerly the immigration minister, had both visited northern France.

But it refused to say whether they or other ministers from the department had visited the Jungle camp.

A spokesman confirmed more than 30 children had been accepted for transfer from within Europe to the UK since the Immigration Act came into force in May, adding that the "majority" had arrived in the country.

The department also noted that more than 100 unaccompanied children in Europe had been accepted for transfer to the UK under EU law known as the Dublin Regulation - which allows child asylum seekers to have their claims transferred to another EU country if they have relatives there - during 2016.

The spokesman added: "Our priority is to protect the best interests of children who are in need of our help.”