Migrant boats were pictured leaving France for the UK as Sir Keir Starmer was set to meet the German chancellor to discuss tackling people smuggling gangs.
On Thursday morning, people crammed into inflatable dinghies were handed life jackets by French authorities as they left from Gravelines to make the dangerous journey across the English Channel.
Last week, ministers announced that the French government was working to implement “new ways of cracking down on small boats”.
This included a review of France’s maritime tactics so authorities could potentially intercept vessels in the water, ensuring “taxi boats” - used by the smuggling gangs to collect migrants from various points along the French coastline - can be stopped.
It comes as the Prime Minister was set to host German chancellor Friedrich Merz in London on his first official visit to the UK on Thursday.
Berlin agreed last year to make facilitating the smuggling of migrants to Britain a criminal offence in a move that will give law enforcements more powers to investigate the supply and storage of small boats to be used for Channel crossings.
Mr Merz is expected to commit to enshrining the change in German law by the end of the year.
Sir Keir said: "Chancellor Merz's commitment to make necessary changes to German law to disrupt the supply lines of the dangerous vessels which carry illegal migrants across the Channel is hugely welcome.
"As the closest of allies, we will continue to work closely together to deliver on the priorities that Brits and Germans share."
The Prime Minister has been seeking to strengthen ties with EU countries, including to bring down small boat crossings.
The deal with France struck last week also included a migrant return agreement, with a pilot scheme seeing small boat arrivals being returned to France then an equal number of migrants being exchanged with France through a new legal route
Sir Keir and Mr Merz are also expected to discuss defence.
Britain and Germany, two of the biggest providers of support to Ukraine, signed a defence pact last year with the aim of closer co-operation in the face of a growing threat from Russia.
During Mr Merz's visit, the leaders are expected to unveil an agreement to jointly produce defence exports such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets and commit to developing their deep precision strike missile in the next decade, with a range of more than 2,000 kilometres.
The chancellor and Sir Keir will also sign a bilateral friendship and cooperation treaty that includes plans to set up a new UK-Germany Business Forum.
Sir Keir said: "The Treaty we will sign today, the first of its kind, will bring the UK and Germany closer than ever. It not only marks the progress we have already made and the history we share.
"It is the foundation on which we go further to tackle shared problems and invest in shared strengths."
