Emmanuel Macron said France’s relationship with the UK was a “game changer” as he met Sir Keir Starmer for talks on issues including the migrant crisis.
The UK has been pressing for tougher action from the French authorities on the beaches along the English Channel coast, while Mr Macron has suggested efforts are needed to reduce the “pull factors” attracting migrants.
The Prime Minister welcomed the French president to Downing Street on Wednesday ahead of a full UK-France summit on Thursday involving ministerial teams from both nations.
Sir Keir said the meetings were “hugely symbolic of the closeness between our countries and our personal relationship”.
He added: “Whether it’s on defence and security, whether it’s on Ukraine, whether it’s on trade and economy, business opportunities, capabilities, we think alike, we work together, and I feel this relationship is as strong as it’s ever been.”
Mr Macron said the UK and France would “build stronger links and make big moves forward on defence, security, technology, economy” as well as “more exchange on culture, education, research and when we look at climate change, AI, but as well as challenging times from Ukraine to Middle East.”
“The partnership and the friendship between UK and France is absolutely, I would say, a game changer for not just Europe, but a lot of these issues,” the president added.
The Prime Minister hopes to strike a “one in, one out” deal to send small boat migrants back to the continent, in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link.
Alongside Downing Street talks, Sir Keir and Mr Macron also attended an event at the British Museum, where they celebrated plans for a cultural exchange of the Bayeux Tapestry and the Sutton Hoo burial treasures.
Speaking at the central London museum, the Prime Minister said the artefacts both “contain stories of war and of peace, of power and of politics, alliances and enemies that we still know all too well in our modern world”.
The world is now entering a new era of “huge change and turmoil” when the alliance between France and the UK is “more important than ever”, he added.
Their spouses, Brigitte Macron and Lady Victoria Starmer, had tea and a tour of Downing Street together.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir highlighted the joint work being done on cross-Channel migrants.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey challenged him to stop handing over money to the French unless they agreed to “a returns deal and doing their bit to stop the boats”.
Sir Keir told him: “We’re working closely with the French on this issue, we’ll only provide funding that delivers for our priorities.
“We are working closely. We share information to a much greater extent than was the case before. We’ve got a new specialist intelligence unit at Dunkirk, and we’re the first government to persuade the French to review their laws and tactics on the north coast to take more effective action.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told Sir Keir: “The country demands that you say to the French president ‘we will not accept undocumented males across the English Channel’ and that you are not dictated to by an increasingly arrogant, anti-Brexit French president.”
In a speech to MPs and peers on Tuesday, Mr Macron promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, describing the issue as a “burden” to both countries.
He said France and the UK have a “shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness”.
But he also stressed that Britain and France would “only arrive at the lasting and effective solution” if they addressed the “pull factors” encouraging people to make the journey across the Channel.
On Wednesday, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds insisted that the UK was already working to reduce “pull factors”.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “That is why this Government is cracking down on illegal working and why there have been over 7,000 arrests in that space.”
Mr Thomas-Symonds declined to give a “running commentary” on negotiations with the French on migration, but told Times Radio that work with Paris was already “bearing fruit”.
The French denied a Telegraph report that Mr Macron blames the UK for the crisis.
A senior Elysee source said: “The French president looks forward to working with the Prime Minister constructively on this shared priority.”
The number of people crossing the English Channel so far in 2025 now stands at more than 21,000, a record for this point in a year.
