French President Emmanuel Macron promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in a speech to Parliament during his state visit.
Mr Macron — who will discuss the issue of small boats crossings in a summit with Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday — said the issue of “irregular migration” was a “burden” to both countries.
The UK has pushed for tougher action from the French authorities on the beaches along the Channel coast and is seeking to strike a “one in, one out” deal to send small boat migrants back to the continent.
In exchange, the UK would accept asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link.
✍ Comment by Emily Thornberry: By welcoming Macron, the UK signals a return to serious foreign policy
Speaking to MPs and peers in Parliament on Tuesday afternoon Mr 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.
“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”, he said.
He promised the “best ever co-operation” between France and the UK “to fix today what is a burden for our two countries”.
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 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.
With US President Donald Trump demanding more from European Nato members, Mr Macron said the UK and France, together accounted for 40% of the continent’s military budgets, “both 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 and Mr Macron said the countries “faced with revisionist neighbours” have a “special responsibility for the security of the continent”.
Tensions between Europe and the US over trade also featured in Mr Macron’s address.
He said European countries had to break away from economic dependence on both the US and China.
France and the UK have a shared responsibility to address migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness
He said: “We want an open world. We want to co-operate, but not to depend.”
On his arrival in the UK, Mr Macron said the two countries would “address the major challenges of our time: security, defence, nuclear energy, space, innovation, artificial intelligence, migration, and culture”.
He added: “These are all areas in which we seek to act together and deepen our co-operation in a concrete, effective, and lasting way.”
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.
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.”
The King on Tuesday formally welcomed Mr Macron and his wife, Brigitte, to the UK for the three-day state visit.
Hosted at Windsor Castle - the first state visit held there since 2014 - the occasion was marked by the pomp and pageantry of Britain’s military tradition.
More than 950 personnel from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army’s Household Division and the Royal Air Force, supported by 70 horses, participated in the meticulously choreographed events under the command of Major General James Bowder, General Officer Commanding the Household Division.
Earlier, the President and First Lady were greeted at RAF Northolt by the Prince and Princess of Wales. A ceremonial Carpet Lining Party, formed by the King’s Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force, was stationed on the apron in honour of the occasion.
On Tuesday evening, the King hosted a State Banquet in St George’s Hall, where the Duchess of Edinburgh’s String Orchestra — conducted by Captain Alexandra Nixon — were due to perform a programme of French classical works and musical selections including Faure, Bizet and Les Misérables.
