French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to deliver stronger measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel ahead of a crucial summit with Sir Keir Starmer. The French leader described irregular migration as a "burden" to both countries during his state visit to the UK.
The UK has been pushing for tougher action from French authorities on Channel coast beaches and hopes to strike a "one in, one out" deal to send small boat migrants back to the continent. In exchange, Britain would accept asylum seekers in Europe who have British links.
Shared responsibility pledge
Speaking to MPs and peers in Parliament, Macron said: "In this unstable world, hope for a better life elsewhere is legitimate. But we cannot allow our countries' rules for taking in people to be flouted and criminal networks to cynically exploit the hopes of so many individuals with so little respect for human life."
He emphasised that France and the UK have a "shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness". Decisions at Thursday's UK-France summit will "respond to our aims for co-operation and tangible results on these major issues".
Record Channel crossings
Macron promised the "best ever co-operation" between France and the UK "to fix today what is a burden for our two countries". His state visit comes just a week after the total number of people crossing the Channel in small boats this year passed 20,000.
The total now stands at more than 21,000, a record for this point in the year. Macron said the summit would mark a "new stage" to scale up co-operation between the two countries, Europe's only nuclear powers and major contributors to the continent's security.
European security focus
With US President Donald Trump demanding more from European Nato members, Macron noted that the UK and France together account for 40 per cent of the continent's military budgets. He said both countries "fully shoulder the responsibility when it comes to European security".
The UK and France have been prominent supporters of Ukraine following its invasion by Russia. Macron said the countries "faced with revisionist neighbours" have a "special responsibility for the security of the continent".
Economic independence
Tensions between Europe and the US over trade also featured in Macron's address to Parliament. He said European countries had to break away from economic dependence on both the US and China.
"We want an open world. We want to co-operate, but not to depend," Macron declared. On his arrival in the UK, he said the two countries would "address the major challenges of our time: security, defence, nuclear energy, space, innovation, artificial intelligence, migration, and culture".
Ukraine coalition plans
Sir Keir and the French president are expected to co-host a meeting of the "coalition of the willing", the peacekeeping mission proposed to be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia. Macron emphasised these are "all areas in which we seek to act together and deepen our co-operation in a concrete, effective, and lasting way".
He concluded: "There is so much we can build together: for the stability of our continent, for our shared prosperity and competitiveness, and for the protection of our democracies."
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
