Arnaud Danjean said France should no longer bear the "negative burden" of migrants aiming to enter the UK, and called for the existing UK-France border treaty to be ripped up.
The battle for the Elysee Palace will culminate early next spring. At this stage, the field still has many contenders. However, what unites several of them is a wish to renegotiate the UK-French border in a post Brexit Europe.
Le Touquet Treaty works for both UK & France — @alainjuppe plan to axe it would mean higher ferry prices & bigger queues at Calais 1/2
— Charlie Elphicke (@CharlieElphicke) November 14, 2016
Such pressure has been reinforced by one French political insider, Arnaud Danjean. He's a key ally to the front runner of the presidential race, Republican candidate Alain Juppe.
"It's a consequence [of Brexit]. It's not a punishment. It's an uncomfortable consequence for Britain," he told the BBC.
"When it comes to border management, we will have to find a new agreement, definitely, because you can't make as if nothing has happened.
"And we all know that the vote for Brexit was mainly expressed because of migration and immigration issues. So, it has an impact and we cannot continue like this."
Mr. Danjean continued that it was inconceivable that the current UK-French border arrangement could continue unchanged.
"I cannot imagine a French politician and a French president telling people, 'Well, you know, the Brits have decided to leave but we have to enforce the border at our border.' This would be very hard to explain," he insisted.
The primary point of contention is the Le Touquet deal: a controversial bilateral arrangement signed in 2003, under President Nicolas Sarkozy, which allows UK and French border officials to conduct border checks in France, rather than in the UK.
This resulted in a build up of migrants waiting to enter the UK, but forced to wait on French soil, rather than within England.
After the Brexit referendum in June, French officials took the opportunity to say that a new deal has become necessary to reflect the momentous change in the UK exiting the EU.
Less than 12 hours after the result, the mayor of Calais urged that the Le Touquet deal be scrapped.
Natacha Bouchart said that Britain must "take the consequences" of its vote. She added that in separating from the EU, Britain must itself take care of the issue of hopeful refugees aspiring to settle in Britain — on its side of the Channel.
"The British people have chosen to take back their freedom, they must take back their borders," she said.
The British Home Office dismissed such demands as "a non-starter."
@ArnaudDanjean #Calais Surely it is up to the French to control their own borders not the UK. These people are your responsibility not ours
— Paul Hetherington (@pauljh1511) November 15, 2016
However, the French have since dismantled the Calais 'Jungle': a sprawling temporary settlement of thousands immigrants and refugees, who have been redistributed to processing centers across France.
Many in France say that this is a temporary measure, and have renewed calls for the UK to take responsibility for assessing migrants wishing to enter the UK.
UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd has thus far maintained that the government does not intend to renegotiate the Le Touquet deal.
