Calais Boss Ridicules ‘Failing’ Chris Grayling

The boss of the Port of Calais has branded Transport Secretary Chris Grayling “failing Grayling” and has said he would ban the minister from his town. 

Jean-Marc Puissesseau, also Calais’ deputy mayor, said Theresa May’s Cabinet ally had shown “disrespect” to his French seaside town over Brexit plans to divert ferries via Belgium if Britain crashes out of the EU.

The chief hit out in January after Grayling awarded £100m of contracts to three ferry companies – one of which was Seaborne Freight, which does not have a single operational ferry – while French port workers were busy making detailed preparations for no-deal gridlock. 

But now Puissesseau has told The Telegraph that Grayling may no longer  be welcome in Calais.

He said: “It is not fair at all, it is completely disrespectful. I don’t want to see him again.”

He went on: “Mr Grayling came to us in November and asked us if we would be ready. We told him ‘yes’, though we did not know as much as we know today. He did not tell us that he wanted to reduce the activity (at Calais).”

Puissesseau also joked that Grayling was now so unpopular in Calais that he would have to pass through a proposed ‘traffic light’ system if he visited the port again.

To keep the port running smoothly after Brexit, the port is preparing to flash green for lorries with the right paperwork, red for lorries with no paperwork, and orange for drivers who are not sure.

“I have heard he is ‘failing Grayling’ … He will have to have a declaration if he comes to Calais. He will have to go through the orange lane,” Puissesseau said.