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Closing Calais camp will help secure future of Anglo-French border agreement - UK minister

LONDON (Reuters) - Closing the "Jungle" migrant camp at Calais will help secure the future of the Le Touquet agreement which allows British officials to check passports in France and vice versa, British interior minister Amber Rudd said on Monday. French authorities began clearing the sprawling migrant camp on Monday as hundreds gave up on their dreams of reaching Britain to be relocated in France while their asylum requests are considered. Last week the Guardian reported that France's Alain Juppe, who is on course to win the centre-right's presidential ticket and favourite to win power in next year's national election, said he would seek to overturn the treaty, which effectively pushes the British frontier to Calais in northern France. "Clearing the camp isn't just about our legal and moral obligations. It is also in our national interest. The rise in the number of people have led some in France to question the Le Touquet agreement," Rudd told parliament. "By clearing the camp, we can help secure the future of the juxtaposed controls as well as playing our part to help those most in need in Calais." (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Helen Reid; editing by William James)