Pedro Sánchez hits out at ‘polarising and unlawful reaction’ over mass crossing into Spanish enclave in north Africa Europe live – latest updates Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánc…

Pedro Sánchez hits out at ‘polarising and unlawful reaction’ over mass crossing into Spanish enclave in north Africa Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has called for an urgent meeting of EU interior ministers after what he called some member states’ “selfish, polarising and unlawful reaction” to this week’s mass border crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, in north Africa. It comes after he confirmed “virtually all” of those who had crossed the border had been returned, “preventing any unauthorised onward movement towards continental Europe”. However, he asked for the meeting after what appeared to be a breakdown of EU unity on external border policy, with Italy attacking Spain. More than 50,000 people crossed into the territory from Morocco on Thursday and Friday, with at least 67 people dying in the attempt. Some drowned, while others were crushed as they tried to cross a breakwater barrier. Although more than 48,000 people had voluntarily returned to Morocco by 6pm on Friday, the influx triggered a political crisis for the Madrid government and led some fellow EU countries to call for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen free-movement zone. Italy announced on Friday evening that it would suspend its Schengen arrangements with Spain, even though Ceuta – and Spain’s other north African enclave, Melilla – are subject to special Schengen rules that prevent onward movement within the zone. Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, blamed the situation in Ceuta on the Sánchez government’s decision to offer a now-closed scheme to regularise the status of more than 1 million undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. He said the programme had incentivised human trafficking and was “profoundly wrong”.