Macron Says UK And France “Will Deliver Together” On Tackling Illegal Migration
Macron is in the UK for a three-day state visit (Alamy)
3 min read
President Emmanuel Macron has told Parliament that Britain and France will "deliver together” on tackling illegal migration.
In a speech to an audience of MPs and peers, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch, Macron said that the UK and France "must once again show the world that our alliance can make a difference", adding Europeans "will never abandon Ukraine".
The French President arrived in London on Tuesday morning for a three-day state visit: the first state visit of an EU leader since Brexit and the first of a French leader since 2008.
Macron said that while the UK is no longer a part of the EU, "the United Kingdom cannot stay on the sidelines, because defence and security, competitiveness, democracy, the very core of our identity, are connected across Europe as a continent".
Macron said illegal immigration "is a burden for our two countries" and that while "hope for a better life elsewhere is legitimate", governments cannot allow "criminal networks to cynically exploit the hopes of so many individuals with so little respect for human life".
"Friends in the United Kingdom have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and focus. The decisions that we will take at our bilateral summit will respond to our aims for cooperation and tangible results on these major issues."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be hoping to secure a one-in-one-out migrant returns deal with France as part of a bid to show Labour is strong on immigration.
Home Office figures published last week revealed that nearly 20,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats in the first half of the year, an increase of almost 50 per cent in the same period of 2024.
Macron said that the world order "based on law, justice and respect for territorial integrity" is being "attacked on a daily basis" with the return of war to the continent.
Referencing the war in Ukraine, Macron said: "Every time Vladimir Putin's Russia advances in Ukraine, the threat moves closer to us all."
Following a meeting of European leaders in London in March, Starmer said that a European "coalition of the willing" was ready to defend Ukraine militarily in the event of a peace deal.
"This coalition was just a signal that Europeans will never abandon Ukraine, never," Macron said on Tuesday.
Macron also addressed the situation in Gaza, after the UK, France and Canada promised in May to take "further concrete actions" if Israel did not stop its renewed military operations in Gaza and failed to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid reaching the strip.
Addressing the conflict, Macron said: "A war without end and without a strategic objective poses a huge threat to the region and our collective security. Today, the dehumanization is occurring there that can never be justified."
The French President said that calling for a ceasefire in Gaza without conditions shows the rest of the world that there is "no double standard" for Europeans.
Looking beyond Europe, Macron warned that Britain, France and Europe need to become less reliant on the US and China.
Starmer and Macron on Tuesday agreed a loan that will see the Bayeux Tapestry go on display at the British Museum in 2026, with the Sutton Hoo treasures loaned to France in return.
While Macron praised the stronger ties being formed between the two countries, the president warned of a "risk" that UK and French societies are "growing apart".
He voiced concern that "our young people do not know each other as well and may end up strangers".
Macron called for the UK to "work together in order to facilitate the exchange of students, researchers, intellectuals, artists".
