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Migrant Drownings Branded 'A Stain On Europe'

Ed Miliband has criticised European leaders over their planned response to the crisis of migrants drowning in the Mediterranean.

The Labour leader also attacked what he called "terrible" comments from former Foreign Secretary William Hague, who questioned the idea of reinstating a search and rescue mission.

As Prime Minister David Cameron prepares for Thursday's EU Summit in Brussels on the issue, Mr Miliband has warned it will be "a stain on the EU" if proper action is not taken.

In the latest of many tragedies in the Mediterranean, it is estimated 900 people died when a boat sank near the Italian island of Lampedusa last weekend.

The EU's 10-point plan aims to strengthen its patrolling service and seek a military mandate to seize and destroy people smugglers' boats.

But Mr Miliband said: "We've got to restart the search and rescue that was ended in November. We said at the time it was a mistake, it was wrong."

He added: "Frankly, I think it is a stain on Europe to have these things happening on our shores, in our waters."

In what is becoming the first foreign affairs row of this election, opinion is divided over whether a service like the Mare Nostrum operation by the Italian navy, which was stopped last year, should be restored to save more lives.

Mr Hague warned it could encourage more trafficking.

He told Sky News "What actually happened when (Mare Nostrum) was in place was that the people traffickers took even more people out in unseaworthy boats and the evidence was that time that more people drowned as a result than previously, and that's why there was an agreement all across the EU to stop."

Mr Hague added: "Clearly the current situation isn't working either, and so it needs that mixture of action against the traffickers, better work with African countries and in the long term the answer is to have more stability and prosperity across Africa as a whole ... and few countries do more than Britain to promote that stability with our development aid."

But responding to Mr Hague's comments Mr Miliband said: "Its a terrible thing to say. Just think about the logic of that.

"The logic of that is we are not going to rescue drowning people because we believe it is a pull factor."

A separate question remains, however, over Britain's role in accommodating those escaping North Africa.

Mr Miliband has said "Britain should take its share."

With immigration a hot topic in this election , politicians who have been seeking to look tough on the matter, do not now want to look heartless.

Mr Cameron - who is breaking off from General Election campaigning to attend Thursday's emergency meeting - has described last weekend's disaster as a "dark day for Europe" and acknowledged that Britain "can do more" to help deal with the migrant boat crisis.