As his hosts are expected to demand urgent action to stop illegal immigration during his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom, French President Emmanuel Macron has switched from the genteel royal pomp and ceremony to the harder edges of the political spectrum.
As the leaders met on Wednesday at 10 Downing Street, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was expected to urge Macron to do more to stop refugee and migrant crossings across the English Channel.
The Labour government’s major political issue is the number of refugees and migrants crossing England’s southern coast in small boats from northern France, which has helped the far-right Reform UK party achieve significant political gains with its platform for a hardline anti-immigration platform.
Macron’s second day of visiting the UK, which began with a lavish banquet at Windsor Castle and a warm welcome from King Charles III and members of the royal family, is now in full swing.
The French president’s first state visit to the UK since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008 and the first one to officially announce Brexit in 2020. King Charles III invited Macron to go on a trip.
Not favorable to the EU’s “One in, one out” agreement
Macron addressed the British parliament on Tuesday, promising to implement measures to reduce the number of people crossing the English Channel. He also referred to the situation as a “burden” for both nations. He added that “humanity, solidarity, and fairness” are both required to deal with illegal immigration in France and the UK.
According to the domestic Press Association news agency, Britain wants to reach a “one in, one out” agreement to allow the country to accept asylum seekers from other countries in Europe who share a British connection.
France has previously resisted signing a similar agreement, arguing that the UK should engage in cross-border negotiations with all member states of the EU.
According to Al Jazeera’s Milena Veselinovic, who reports from London, “This deal is far from finished because there is a lot of opposition from some European countries, which are typically the ports of entry for people seeking to come to Europe, such as Spain, Malta, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus,”
“The reason is that, in theory, France could simply move on the people they receive from Britain and apply for asylum there, the first port of entry nations. Keir Starmer also has a lot of stumbling blocks to overcome when trying to persuade President Macron of this deal.
Starmer was asked to “say to the French president we won’t accept undocumented males across the English Channel” by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in parliament.
The UK has grown frustrated over funding for France to stop refugees and migrants fleeing, as well as a law that prohibits police from intercepting boats while they are close to shore.
According to Starmer, “We will only provide funding that fulfills our priorities,” Starmer told parliament, adding that Britain had persuaded the French to “review their laws and tactics on the north coast to take more effective action.”
He continued, “I’ll be having discussions with President Macron about this.”
After he came to power a year ago, Starmer promised to “smash the gangs,” allowing thousands of people to board the small boats, only to see their numbers record rise.
This year, more than 21, 000 people have traveled dangerously from northern France to southeast England using basic vessels.
The Macrons paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II’s tomb at Windsor’s St. George’s Chapel on the second day of their visit.
Macron then bide his farewells to his host and left for central London, where he had lunch with the king and discussed biodiversity issues with him.
The two countries’ alliance was as crucial as ever amid a “multitude of complex threats,” Charles told a crowd of 160 people at the banquet on Tuesday evening, including royals, Starmer, and music icons Elton John and Mick Jagger.
Even though Britain has left the European Union, Veselinovic claimed in an address to parliament that “Britain and France were too dependent on the US and China, and that they really need to take joint decisions on defense and security.”
Macron praised “this entente amicale that unites our two fraternal peoples in an unwavering alliance,” as Charles clintonized a new UK-France “entente… no longer just cordiale, but now amicale.”
Source: Aljazeera
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