'It's clearly working': Burnham hails cross-Channel deal to tackle small boats as PM and Macron agree to scale up action
Talks between the French and British PMs saw the pair discuss the “mega dinghies” carrying migrants from France to Britain
Andy Burnham has insisted the UK's partnership with France to tackle small boats is "clearly working" after French President Emmanuel Macron met with the PM in Downing Street.
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The two leaders met at No 10 on Thursday morning after spending the previous evening together at the British Museum alongside the King to mark the special exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry.
The subjects discussed include the crackdown on so-called "mega dinghies", with the Prime Minister insisting the pair had made "headway" on the total number of migrants making the crossing.
The pair were also seen to launch a new "surge team" comprised of French police, bankrolled by Britain, to tackle the new XXL vessels carrying in excess of 200 people per crossing.
Sitting in Downing Street’s pillared room, Mr Burnham said it was “so fitting that it is our nearest neighbour and close friend Emmanuel”, his first international guest at Downing Street since coming to power.
Mr Macron said: “This is a very strong relationship. For me it is extremely important, and I’m here with willingness and a commitment to get closer.”
It comes as a boost in the number of police officers confronting the “mega dinghies” carrying migrants from France to Britain was announced ahead of their meeting.
Ahead of the talks, Mr Burnham said the two countries must “stay one step ahead” of the criminal gangs’ evolving tactics to transport people across the English Channel, and he vowed not to be “complacent” after a fall in the number of small boat arrivals.
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Mr Burnham said yesterday: "I’m very pleased today to welcome my first overseas visitor as prime minister, and it’s so fitting that it is our nearest neighbour and close friend Emmanuel.
"On behalf of everyone here, Mr Le President, can I thank you for your huge personal gesture of goodwill, trust and friendship with Britain in allowing the Bayeux Tapestry to be displayed here."
While the combined total number of boat crossings over the summer months has dropped to its lowest since 2019, smugglers appear to have started loading more people on to fewer, larger vessels.
No 10 said measures to counter the trend include deploying a surge team of 45 officers to French western beaches in the coming weeks, almost tripling resources in the area.
A special police unit equipped with drones and trained in the use of riot and crowd-control tactics is being set up to tackle the rise of mega-dinghies being used to transport migrants across the Channel.
A new 'surge team' of around 45 officers is going to operate on the beaches west of Calais.
Police will be supported by drones and aerial intelligence assets to pinpoint beaches where the dinghies are being launched.
They will also focus on disrupting boat and equipment supply networks before they are able to reach the coast.
The specialist unit will operate in addition to the 1,050 French officers committed to stopping the boats.
Border security minister Anna Turley told LBC this morning: "They are using their drone technology and their evidence to see where people are going.
"So they will be led by where the data is telling them to be. We've done a lot of work with Belgium as well, because there was a risk that there was displacement to Belgium.
"We've managed to push that back fairly successfully and continue to do so. But we need to make sure that we are using our intelligence about the lines that people are crossing, where they're getting together, where they're building this equipment, where they're building the boats, where they're getting the supply chain from.
"All of this is a multi-faceted approach that we have to work through right before they even get to the coastline."
The Prime Minister will welcome the French president to No 10 on Thursday for their first bilateral meeting.
Ahead of the talks, Mr Burnham said the two countries must “stay one step ahead” of the criminals’ evolving tactics as he vowed not to be “complacent” after a fall in the number of small boat arrivals.
While the combined total number of boat crossings over the summer months has dropped to its lowest since 2019, smugglers appear to have started loading more people on to fewer, larger vessels.
No 10 said measures to counter the trend include deploying a surge team of 45 officers to French western beaches in the coming weeks, almost tripling resources in the area.
Mr Burnham said in a statement: “The progress we have seen this summer shows what can be achieved when the UK and France work together.
“But I am clear that we cannot be complacent. Smuggling gangs are constantly adapting their tactics, and the UK and France need to respond quickly and stay one step ahead of the criminals facilitating the dangerous crossings.
“The small boats crisis is a shared European challenge, and no country can solve it alone. Working with France and our international partners, we will restore order and control to our borders and prevent smugglers exploiting vulnerable migrants.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “We are boosting officer numbers to record highs to crack down on small boat launches and the gangs behind them.
“This work is bearing fruit. Over 48,000 crossing attempts have been prevented, small boat crossing numbers are down and removals of those here illegally are at record levels.
“But we are not complacent and we must be relentless. We will continue efforts on all fronts to tackle these illegal and dangerous crossings.”
As well as migration, Mr Burnham and Mr Macron will discuss the Ukraine and Iran wars and their impact on Europe’s security and economy, No 10 said.
The Prime Minister will push for greater co-operation with Europe, Downing Street said, as he looks set to continue his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer’s policy of a “reset” of UK-EU relations.
During Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Burnham reiterated that Britain’s decade of low growth “has been partly a result of Brexit”.
“I do want a closer relationship – I will build on the work of my predecessor,” he told MPs, ahead of a UK-EU summit later in the year.
Mr Macron is the first European leader to visit the UK since Mr Burnham took office in July.
The pair joined the King and the Queen to visit the Bayeux Tapestry at London’s British Museum on Wednesday.