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Hopes for migrant deal as Macron wraps up UK state visit
London and Paris will on Thursday attempt to thrash out a deal on undocumented migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats on the last day of the French president's state visit to Britain.
The talks come after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron admitted the need for a "new deterrent" to tackle the issue, as support for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party soars.
The two leaders were also due to discuss continued support for Ukraine and a "reboot" of defence ties with an expected focus on joint missile development and nuclear co-operation.
The so-called "one in, one out" migrant deal, details of which were reportedly still being discussed, would see migrants sent back to France in return for the UK accepting a similar number of migrants with strong asylum cases.
The scheme could initially involve around 50 migrants a week, the French daily Le Monde reported.
It would be scaled up later if a pilot demonstrated "proof of concept", The Times newspaper added, quoting a UK government source.
After the two leaders met at Starmer's Downing Street office on Wednesday, a UK government spokesperson said they had agreed that the small boat crossings were a "shared priority that requires shared solutions".
"The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs," the spokesperson added.
Starmer also outlined his government's policies to tackle issues such as illegal working during the meeting, one of the "pull factors" which France claims has made the UK particularly attractive to migrants.
- Support for Ukraine -
Thursday's summit follows two days of events spanning pomp and politics, trade and culture for Macron and his wife Brigitte.
The French first couple were welcomed on Tuesday by King Charles III and Queen Camilla with a horse-drawn carriage procession, a 41-gun salute and a banquet at Windsor Castle, west of London.
Macron and Charles toasted a new "entente amicale" at the lavish state banquet, hailing the importance of cross-Channel relations amid various emergent threats.
As part of a mooted defence agreement, the UK and France will will order more Storm Shadow cruise missiles -- long-range, air-launched weapons jointly developed by the allies -- while stepping up work on a replacement system, the UK defence ministry said.
The missiles have been shipped to Ukraine in significant numbers to help Kyiv in its war with Russia following Moscow's full-scale 2022 invasion.
Starmer and Macron will also on Thursday dial into a meeting of the so-called "coalition of the willing" on Ukraine.
Britain and France are spearheading talks among the 30-nation coalition on how to support a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, including potentially deploying peacekeeping forces.
Starmer's office said this week that the call would "discuss stepping up support for Ukraine and further increasing pressure on Russia".
They will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to the French presidency.
The state visit also saw Macron formally announce the loan of the famous Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the 1066 Norman conquest of England, to the British Museum for 10 months from September 2026.
In return, London will lend French museums the collection from the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo site, one of England's most important archaeological sites, as well as other medieval "treasures".
P. Gomes--JDB
