A surge in migrants from Africa threatens the European Union's living standards and social infrastructure, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Sunday, adding that the bloc was unable to take in millions of people seeking a new life.

Hammond's comments, some of his most outspoken on the subject yet, underscore how the British government is ramping up its anti-immigration rhetoric in response to a spike in migrant attempts to reach Britain via the Channel Tunnel from France.

They are also part of a wider EU trend that has seen Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras say his country cannot cope with the number of migrants fleeing instability in the Middle East and Africa. In addition, Germany has called for tighter immigration curbs.