Starmer and Macron agree 'new deterrent' needed to stop small boats crossing the Channel
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have agreed that “a new deterrent” is needed to stop small boat crossings in the English Channel, Downing Street has said in a statement.
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The Prime Minister and French President came to the agreement following a meeting at Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon.
"The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions," a statement from No. 10 read.
It added: "The Prime Minister spoke of his government’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.
"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."
It appears to be a reference to the 'one in, one out' returns scheme, which will see any person who wrongly enters the UK exchanged with someone who has a valid right to be in the country.
It is understood that Sir Keir had hoped the agreement would be the centrepiece of the French president’s state visit.
The UK has been pressing for tougher action from the French authorities on the beaches along the Channel coast.
Downing Street maintains the deal is not defunct but admits the situation is 'complex', as Britain is set to record a new high in illegal crossings.
In a speech to MPs and peers on Tuesday, President Macron promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, describing the issue as a “burden” to both countries.
He said France and the UK have a “shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness”.
Decisions at a Franco-British summit on Thursday will respond to “our aims for co-operation and tangible results on these major issues”, Macron added.
The French have a Telegraph report that Macron blames the UK for the crisis.
A senior Elysee source said: “The French president looks forward to working with the Prime Minister constructively on this shared priority.”
Last week, 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.
However, the UK and France have been strengthening ties in other areas, with defence, trade, energy and investment also featuring in today's meeting as they look ahead to Thursday's summit.
Downing Street's full statement reads: "The Prime Minister met the French President Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street this afternoon.
"They reflected on the State Visit of the President so far, agreeing that it had been an important representation of the deep ties between our two countries.
"Moving on to discuss joint working, they shared their desire to deepen our partnership further – from joint leadership in support of Ukraine to strengthening our defence collaboration and increasing bilateral trade and investment.
"The Prime Minister welcomed the news that EDF would take a 12.5% stake in Sizewell C leading to lower bills, more jobs and better energy security for the UK.
"The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions.
"The Prime Minister spoke of his government’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.
"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.
"Finally, they looked ahead to the 37th UK-France Summit taking place tomorrow and agreed to aim for concrete progress on these areas."