By Hannah Tooley

The Bishop of Dover has pleaded for the Prime Minister to “rediscover what it is to be human” as Downing Street and France join forces to increase security around the Channel Tunnel.

The Church of England has openly intervened in the debate, criticising David Cameron’s “unhelpful” rhetoric.

Right Revd Trevor Willmott, the Bishop of Dover, has accused politicians of forgetting their humanity and has also criticised the media for encouraging “toxicity” towards migrants in its reporting.

“We’ve become an increasingly harsh world, and when we become harsh with each other and forget our humanity then we end up in these standoff positions.

“We need to rediscover what it is to be a human, and that every human being matters,” he said in the Guardian newspaper.

Mr Cameron was heavily criticised earlier in the week when he described migrants trying to reach Britain as a “swarm” and offered to introduce more secure tactics such as extra fencing and more sniffer dogs to Calais.

Extra CCTV, more guards and more floodlighting will also be put in place.

Bishop Willmott, commenting on Mr Cameron, said: “To put them [migrants and refugees] all together in that very unhelpful phrase just categorises people and I think he could soften that language – and that doesn’t mean not dealing with the issue. It means dealing with the issue in a non-hostile way.”

The charity, Save the Children, also voiced its disappointment at the way the conversation around migrants had turned, asking people to remember that migrants are human and many are refugees fleeing horrific abuse and persecution or extreme danger in their home countries.

Chief Executive, Justin Forsyth, said: “We are in danger of shutting our hearts to the desperation of the people pleading at the door, refugees not economic migrants.”

He added that the country needs to accept and help more refugees trying to reach British soil.

Alex, 22, from Ethiopia, spent six months as a political prisoner and fled once released from jail: “It’s very difficult to enter.

“If I spoke more French I would stay here, but I will be like a baby, have to start again from nothing.”

French police have admitted that it is highly possible that migrants have already made the journey on lorries and trains.

Many of the migrants arrive in Kent and there are new proposals to help the area, it is being reported that over 600 unaccompanied children seeking asylum require care from the city council in Kent.