Macron ally hits out at far-right Bardella’s migration ‘fraud’ – POLITICO

BRUSSELS ― The French government and its far-right rivals are trading blows over tougher migration policies ― 10 months out from the country’s most significant presidential election in modern times.

The country’s Europe minister, a loyalist of centrist President Emmanuel Macron, told POLITICO that Jordan Bardella’s National Rally had a position on migration that was “a big fraud.” The far-right party, which says it did everything it could to support the reduction of irregular migration and increase deportation numbers, is topping opinion polls.

In a sign that the election campaign could become increasingly focused on the topic, Benjamin Haddad said the National Rally has opposed EU efforts to control migration at every turn — except when it became politically profitable.