Britain yesterday came under an extraordinary attack for failing to pay compensation to France for the migrant chaos in Calais. The port’s mayor Natacha Bouchart launched into a rant at the Government for refusing to fully engage in the European project. Senior Tories said her remarks, made public by the supposedly impartial Council of Europe, amounted to meddling in the general election campaign. Scroll down for video . Outspoken: Natacha Bouchart said migrants were desperate to reach the UK because of Britain's 'cushy benefits system' On the run: Calais has struggled to deal with thousands of illegal immigrants who have gathered in the town . Thousands of illegal migrants have massed in Calais waiting for an opportunity to sneak into lorries, private cars or caravans and enter Britain. But Mrs Bouchart, a long-standing critic of the UK, refused to take any blame. She said: ‘We are suffering the consequences of the British Government’s actions, which takes from Europe the things that suit it, but doesn’t want to get fully involved in the European project. ‘A country cannot remain both in and out of Europe, creating problems but providing no compensation and no support to local authorities, such as mine and others, which are left alone to assume huge responsibilities.’ The interview was circulated by the Council of Europe under the heading: ‘Calais mayor slams the UK over migrants.’ It had been given to the council’s ‘Journal’ programme, in which an interviewer asked Mrs Bouchart a series of questions inviting criticism of the Government. Criticism: The mayor of Calais has attacked Britain for 'not getting fully involved in the European project' Violence: Mass brawls between rival gangs left more than 70 people injured during July and August . A transcript and video of the rant were released yesterday as David Cameron was visiting the Queen to fire the starting gun on the election campaign. The council, made up of 47 member states, has repeatedly clashed with the Tory-led Coalition. It is the body that oversees the European Court of Human Rights, which has ordered ministers to give the vote to prisoners. The Conservatives have threatened to withdraw from the council’s jurisdiction if it does not stop interfering in UK affairs. Mrs Bouchart has previously made a string of attacks on the UK. In October, she said Britain was an ‘El Dorado’ for thousands of migrants flocking to Calais because of generous state handouts. Tory candidate Michael Ellis, who was a member of the home affairs committee, said: ‘The council is brazenly trying to interfere in our election and using the mayor of Calais, who has a history of anti-British political posturing, to do so. ‘The illegal migrant problem in Calais is entirely of France’s own making. They signed up to open borders, we did not. They have been making it worse by building new facilities for illegal migrants.’ Peter Bone, standing for the Tories in Wellingborough, said: ‘The mayor of Calais does not seem to realise that the problems are French, and they should be dealing with it. She needs to get a grip.’ In the interview, Mrs Bouchart repeated her attack on the UK for being a supposed soft touch for illegal immigrants. She said: ‘They want to go to England because they can expect better conditions on arrival there than anywhere else in Europe or even internationally. Chaos: The Calais mayor said, with as many as 3,000 migrants in the port, she could not handle the situation . Camp: Calais is to open the Jules Ferry camp to immigrants, a former children's holiday camp, which will become an immigrant centre - the first stage of which begins as a feeding centre . ‘There are no ID cards. They can easily find work outside the formal economy, which is not really controlled. They can get social welfare support that doesn’t exist in other countries.’ But Tory candidate Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ‘The problems at Calais did not materialise because the UK is a honeypot but because the EU has the Schengen agreement which means it is quite incapable of controlling its own borders. ‘Until the time of Queen Mary I, Calais was the last bit of France to be English. It would perhaps be better run if it were given back.’
Natacha Bouchart, Calais Mayor, says migrants desperate to reach the UK . Says in UK they can expect better conditions than anywhere else in world . Also urges UK to scrap border controls for travellers coming from Europe . Criticises the UK for 'not getting fully involved in the European project'