Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron will conclude the French President’s state visit today with a major summit to discuss migrants, defence and the economy with a press conference this afternoon.
The final day of the three-day red carpet visit comes amid widespread fury at reports Keir Starmer has caved in on negotiations around migrant boats, and walked back from his preferred outcome.
Last night it emerged that far from the one-in-one-out deal Sir Keir had hoped for, he may instead achieve just 50 returns a week – a ratio closer to 17-in, one-out.
The news was condemned by senior politicians, including a raft of former Home Secretaries. James Cleverly said the PM’s negotiation had been “pathetic”.
The French do not do favours, they are tough negotiators who act in their national interest. I respect that. Starmer expected favours, wouldn’t recognise the national interest if it sat on him, and couldn’t negotiate his way out of a wet paper bag.”
Suella Braverman, his predecessor, added: “This is ridiculous. The ratio should be 170 out for every 1 in.”
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Small boat crisis is
Defence Secretary John Healey has said tackling small boats crossing in the Channel is a “shared challenge” between France and the UK.
This comes as Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron engage in talks to hammer out a migration deal during a Franco-British summit at Downing Street on Thursday.
Asked whether France could stop all the small boats crossing “overnight” if they wished to, Mr Healey told Sky News: “The discussions are only taking place because over the last year, we’ve been able to establish with the French a recognition that this is a shared challenge, that they are working together with us, and that’s the reason that we’ve seen increased beach patrols, more drone patrols.”
He added: “As a Government, we’re not interested in blame.
“We’re interested in taking the action together that can help reduce the number of small boats coming across, the number of lives also being lost in the Channel…
“And we’re interested in re-establishing the control of our borders that the previous government lost in the recent years.”
More defence co-operation also on the table
The key issue as talks between Keir Starmer and France’s President Macron continue today will be ending small boat crossings.
But defence is also being discussed. The Franco-British summit will discuss the two countries’ means of deterrence “in the face of extreme threats” in Europe, Defence Secretary John Healey has said.
Asked about the 37th Franco-British summit to take place at Downing Street on Thursday, Mr Healey told Sky News: “It’s the first summit with a European ally since the end of Brexit, which is quite extraordinary, but it demonstrates the way that as a Government, we set out this last year to reset relations with key European allies.
“And France has always been our longest-standing ally.
“We’re close on military co-operation, so we’ll be announcing new co-ordination on nuclear co-operation, on research, on exercising, (and) on testing.”
Mr Healey added the two nations will discuss increased co-operation of their militaries with a view to create “a force of 50,000 ready to activate to defend Europe”.
Starmer hoping for ‘one in, one out’ deal on migration
The Prime Minister hopes the French president will sign up to a “one in, one out” deal when they hold a Franco-British summit at Downing Street on Thursday, the last day of Mr Macron’s state visit to the UK.
Under the terms of the deal, Britain would accept migrants with links to the country in exchange for sending others back across the channel.
French newspaper Le Monde reported that some 50 migrants a week would initially be returned to France under the terms of the proposed deal, which it described as largely symbolic.
If such a deal were struck, it would only result in the return of a fraction of the 21,000 people who have made the channel crossing so far in 2025, a record for this point in a year.
Macron and Starmer preparing for crunch migration talks
When Emmanuel Macron and Sir Keir Starmer met in Downing Street on Wednesday, the small boats crisis appeared to be the mainstay of their conversations.
The pair agreed the crossings are a “shared priority that requires shared solutions”, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
They 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.”
Both Mr Macron and Sir Keir aim for “concrete progress” on the matter at Thursday’s summit, No 10 said, as well as in other areas like support for Ukraine.
Starmer and Macron during French President’s state visit (Image: Getty)
Keir Starmer has been slammed tonight after it emerged he may have caved in over his demands for a one-in-one-out illegal migrant returns deal with the French.
French media have claimed that Mr Macron, who is in Britain for a state visit, may only agree to a deal for 50 Channel migrants to be returned to France every week.
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