Macron to arrive in UK with Starmer set to press for help on small boats

French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in the UK on Tuesday as Sir Keir Starmer presses for more help stopping small boats crossing the Channel.

Mr Macron will be hosted by the King during his three-day state visit, the first by a French president since 2008.

But there will be a political dimension to the visit as well, with the president expected to meet the Prime Minister for a Franco-British summit later in the week.

Top of the agenda for that summit is likely to be action on small boat crossings as Sir Keir attempts to solve one of voters’ key issues.

This could include a so-called “one in, one out” deal to exchange Channel migrants for asylum seekers in Europe who have a link to the UK.

Such an agreement is thought still to be on the table, but a deal has not yet been done.

Ministers have also been pushing for France to revise its rules to allow police to intervene when boats are in shallow water, rather than requiring them still to be on land.

Last week, French authorities appeared to change tactics when officers used a knife to puncture an inflatable boat after it had launched.

But on Monday, Downing Street appeared to suggest a new approach had been discussed but not yet rolled out.

A spokesman for Number 10 said: “We are the first Government to have secured agreement from the French to review their maritime tactics so their border enforcement teams can intervene in shallow waters.

“This is operationally and legally complex, but we’re working closely with the French. We expect this to be operationalised soon.”

Mr Macron’s state visit comes a week after the total number of people crossing the Channel in small boats this year passed 20,000.

The total now stands at 21,117, according to PA news agency analysis of Home Office figures, and is a record for this point in the year.

During Mr Macron’s visit, he is expected to address Parliament, as his predecessor-but-one, Nicolas Sarkozy, did during his state visit in 2008.

Sir Keir and the French president are also expected to co-host a meeting of the “coalition of the willing”, the peacekeeping mission proposed to be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.

The Prime Minister spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday afternoon ahead of the talks, agreeing to provide an update on the “significant progress” being made by coalition planners.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey urged Sir Keir to use the state visit to create a “united front” against Donald Trump’s “damaging trade war”.

He said: “The Government has worked hard to negotiate but, every time, Donald Trump’s boomerang tariffs come back as he moves the goal posts again and again.

“It’s time to make clear to Trump that we will not take his playground bullying and divide-and-rule tactics lying down. That is the best way to stand up for British jobs, protect our economy and end the uncertainty of this trade war for good.”