French president Emmanuel Macron promised “concrete, effective and lasting” co-operation on migration as he arrived in the UK under pressure to do more to stop small boats crossing the English Channel.
Mr Macron will be hosted by the King during his three-day state visit, the first by a French president since 2008.
But there is a significant political dimension to the visit as well, with the president and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer leading a Franco-British summit later in the week.
I am arriving in the United Kingdom for a State Visit, followed by a Franco-British summit.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) July 8, 2025
An important moment for our two nations.
The United Kingdom is a strategic partner, an ally, a friend. Our bond is longstanding, forged by History and strengthened by trust.…
Top of the agenda for that summit is likely to be action on small boat crossings as Sir Keir attempts to solve one of voters’ key issues.
Mr Macron said: “Together, we will address the major challenges of our time: security, defence, nuclear energy, space, innovation, artificial intelligence, migration, and culture.
“These are all areas in which we seek to act together and deepen our co-operation in a concrete, effective, and lasting way.”
The UK hopes this could include a so-called “one in, one out” deal to exchange Channel migrants for asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link.
Such an agreement is thought still to be on the table, but a deal has not yet been done.
Ministers have also been pushing for France to revise its rules to allow police to intervene when boats are in shallow water, rather than requiring them still to be on land.
Last week, French authorities appeared to change tactics when officers used a knife to puncture an inflatable boat after it had launched.
On Monday, Downing Street appeared to suggest a new approach had been discussed but not yet rolled out.
A spokesman for Number 10 said: “We are the first Government to have secured agreement from the French to review their maritime tactics so their border enforcement teams can intervene in shallow waters.
“This is operationally and legally complex, but we’re working closely with the French. We expect this to be operationalised soon.”
Mr Macron’s state visit comes 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.
Mr Macron will address Parliament on Thursday, as his predecessor-but-one, Nicolas Sarkozy, did during his state visit in 2008.
Sir Keir and the French president are also 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.
Mr Macron said: “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.”
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged Sir Keir to use the state visit to create a “united front” against Donald Trump’s “damaging trade war”.
He said: “The Government has worked hard to negotiate but, every time, Donald Trump’s boomerang tariffs come back as he moves the goal posts again and again.
“It’s time to make clear to Trump that we will not take his playground bullying and divide-and-rule tactics lying down. That is the best way to stand up for British jobs, protect our economy and end the uncertainty of this trade war for good.”
Both Sir Ed and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, the leaders of the two largest opposition parties, will meet Mr Macron during his visit.
