Starmer and Macron to meet at No 10 amid push for French help on small boats
Starmer and Macron hold crunch talks in joint bid to halt small boats
- Keir Starmer is under pressure to salvage a "one in, one out" deal with French president Emmanuel Macron to tackle illegal migration and small boat crossings.
- The proposed agreement, which would see the UK return illegal migrants to France in exchange for accepting asylum seekers with British links, is reportedly close to collapse due to opposition from other EU countries.
- Mr Macron, visiting the UK in the first state visit by an EU head of state since Brexit, described irregular migration as a "burden" for both nations and committed to addressing it with shared responsibility.
- The discussions occur as the number of people crossing the English Channel in small boats this year has already surpassed 20,000, marking a new record for this period.
- Beyond migration, the leaders are also expected to discuss a proposed peacekeeping mission for Ukraine.