Spain's PM requests to appear before Parliament on 9 September to address Ceuta crisis

The decision comes 27 days after some 80,000 people crossed the border into Ceuta and it primarily aims to provide an update on the handling of the migration crisis, according to Minister for Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres.

Moncloa, the seat of the Spanish government, is pre-empting the meeting of the Diputación Permanente at 12pm, the parliamentary body convened for this very Wednesday to vote on Sánchez's compulsory appearance, as well as other motions tabled by the opposition.

The opposition's proposal, if it were to go ahead with the possible backing of one of its usual partners, would have forced Sánchez to appear before the upper house before 1 September.

The prime minister's appearance will take place amid high political tension following public disagreements between the Ministries of Defence and the Interior regarding the intelligence warnings issued prior to the migration crisis.

On Tuesday, the Defence Ministry stated that the military intelligence services had done their job in the days leading up to the arrival of thousands of migrants in Ceuta and had informed the security forces and the government delegation, without giving further details.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry insists that "there was no prior warning whatsoever".

According to government sources, Sánchez intended to address Parliament after returning from his summer holiday in Lanzarote, but he had not set a date until Wednesday morning.

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