Sánchez takes rare swipe at Spain’s king over Ceuta crisis – POLITICO

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez appeared to criticize King Felipe VI on Monday over his lack of involvement in the ongoing migration crisis in Ceuta, chiding the monarch for his failure to visit the city.

“There are more than enough reasons and motives for the head of state to visit Ceuta and Melilla,” Sánchez told Spanish radio network Cadena SER, giving his first interview since 72,000 migrants surged into Spain’s North African autonomous city one month ago.

It is highly unusual for members of the Spanish government to publicly challenge the Crown’s actions. Yet Sánchez’s statement hinted at his frustration with the head of state’s absence from the Ceuta response, which he contrasted with his own emergency visit to the city, and his government’s on-the-ground handling of the still unresolved crisis.