The Japan Times - Macron, Starmer talk Channel migration as UK visit gets political

Macron, the first EU head of state to make such a visit since Brexit, received a pomp-filled royal welcome on Tuesday, as he kicked off a three-day tour focused on various issues spanning trade, culture and defence.

The ever-rising number of migrants arriving on England's southern coast from northern France is perhaps the most thorny, and has become a major political headache for Starmer.

The UK government has long pushed Paris to do more to prevent the small boats packed with migrants from setting sail.

But Starmer's office insisted on Wednesday that the cross-Channel allies were on the same page.

"The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions," Downing Street said in a readout of their meeting.

That includes "a new deterrent to break the business model" of the gangs facilitating the crossings, it added.

Starmer's office said the UK leader also detailed how his government was trying to deter the arrivals, including through "a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats".

- 'Burden' -

There was no mention of reports that London wants a "one in, one out" deal to send migrants back to the continent, in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link.

After he took power a year ago, Starmer promised to "smash the gangs" getting thousands of migrants onto the small boats, only to see numbers rise to record levels.

More than 21,000 migrants have crossed from northern France to southeast England in rudimentary vessels this year as the far-right soars in popularity.

In a speech to parliament on Tuesday, Macron promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, calling the issue a "burden" to both countries.

The talks at Downing Street came after a first day dominated by ceremony and a warm welcome from King Charles III and members of the royal family.

Tuesday's royal welcome from King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla included a horse-drawn carriage procession, a 41-gun salute and a banquet at Windsor Castle, west of London, for the president and his wife Brigitte.

The Macrons began the second day of their visit by paying their respects at the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor's St George's Chapel.

Macron then discussed biodiversity with the king during a stroll in the castle grounds before he bade farewell to his host and headed to central London.

- Bayeux Tapestry loan -

This is the first state visit by a French president to Britain since Nicolas Sarkozy's in 2008 and the first by a European Union head of state since Brexit in 2020.

The latest visit is a sign of a further warming of post-Brexit relations, although Macron jibed at the decision during Wednesday's speech to artificial intelligence entrepreneurs and scientists at Imperial College London.

"I'm not sure you've fixed migration and financial issues... much better than with the EU," he said.

Earlier, Macron had revealed the loan of the famous Bayeux Tapestry depicting the 1066 Norman conquest of England, to the British Museum for 10 months from September 2026.

He and Starmer formally confirmed the deal during a visit to the museum on Wednesday, where both lauded the value of cultural exchanges.

On Wednesday evening Macron will meet the business community at a dinner held in his honour at the Guildhall, a historic building in the City of London, the capital's financial district, with 650 guests in attendance.

S.Yamada--JT