London (AFP) – UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron held their first official talks on Thursday, with British-EU relations, migrant boats, Ukraine, and the Middle East topping the agenda. The meeting at Burnham’s Downing Street office and residence came after the leaders celebrated bilateral ties with King Charles III at a preview of the fabled Bayeux Tapestry in London on Wednesday.
Burnham, in charge since July 20, and his wife Marie-France van Heel welcomed the French leader and First Lady Brigitte Macron outside the famous black door of No.10 Downing Street. Once inside, the leaders “discussed the UK’s drive to get closer to Europe,” according to a UK government account of the discussions. Burnham is eager to build on his predecessor Keir Starmer’s efforts to forge closer post-Brexit cooperation with the European Union as he aims to boost sluggish UK growth. He has said Britain must be “bolder” in getting closer to the EU but has refused to scrap Starmer’s rejection of rejoining the bloc’s single market or customs union and returning to its internal freedom of movement rules.
Complicating matters is concern that the EU’s Made in Europe agenda, which seeks to protect the steel industries of states in the 27-nation bloc, could harm Britain’s struggling steel sector. “The Prime Minister set out how the Made in Europe agenda could pose significant challenges for UK industry,” a UK government spokesperson said. Macron became the first EU leader hosted at Downing Street by Burnham, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited in July. For Macron, the visit was significant as he approaches the final months of his presidential term, set to end in May 2027.
In comments recorded by media at the top of the meeting, Macron said it was a “very important moment” for relations between the two countries, adding he was “here with a willingness and a commitment to get closer and closer”. Macron had said on Wednesday that Paris and London “do not always see eye to eye” but “we respect one another, remain open to discussing everything, including advancing the UK reset with the European Union”.
The leaders also discussed the “emerging use of mega dinghies,” or larger, more powerful boats bringing undocumented migrants and asylum seekers to England’s south coast. In coming weeks, a “surge team” of 45 French officers will be deployed on beaches to tackle such launches, Downing Street said. Burnham told Macron that the countries were “making headway on driving down numbers and reducing crossings.” The UK recorded the lowest number of small boats carrying migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Channel this summer since 2019, the government said on Monday, touting the success of its enforcement deal with France. “It was now vital to ensure that success was scaled up across Europe to deter illegal migration,” the leaders agreed, according to the UK statement.
Burnham has committed to maintaining Britain’s long-standing support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, making Kyiv his first overseas trip last month. Macron and Starmer enjoyed good ties and adopted lead roles in the coalition of nations supporting Ukraine. During a speech at the British Museum on Wednesday, Macron hailed the UK’s release to Ukraine of information on components for the long-range missile, SCALP, the French-produced version of the UK’s Storm Shadow. The pair “discussed next steps on establishing local assembly lines” in Ukraine for SCALP, according to the Downing Street readout, and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Accompanied by their wives, the leaders joined Charles and Queen Camilla in previewing the landmark Bayeux Tapestry exhibition ahead of its public opening next week. “It shows what collaboration can achieve,” Burnham told Macron on Thursday. He said France’s loan to Britain of the almost 1,000-year-old embroidery was a “huge personal gesture of goodwill, trust and friendship.” Macron played an instrumental role over nearly a decade in pushing for the tapestry loan, which is viewed as another step towards healing the rancour of the Brexit years. The 11th-century work, which depicts the Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror, arrived in London in July for a sell-out showcase that runs until July 2027.
© 2024 AFP
