Fridays are often quiet in Westminster but today a major event is taking place – the first UK-France summit in five years. Rishi Sunak is set to meet French president Emmanuel Macron to discuss Channel migrant crossings.
Sunak will be looking to strengthen policing of the Channel coast and reach a deal on returning migrants who arrive from France, although officials expect Macron will likely defer this to a wider EU-wide returns deal. He will also be looking to strengthen policing of the Channel coast.
Macron in turn wants the UK to agree to a multi-year funding settlement to help pay for policing efforts in northern France to prevent small boat crossings. The Times reported that the UK could offer up to £200m over three years to stop crossings “at source”.
Small boats are a priority for Sunak, who has invested considerable political capital in the controversial new immigration bill that will criminalise anyone who arrives unofficially, with the threat of rapid deportation and a permanent ban from settling in the UK.
Wider bilateral issues such as defence and Ukraine are also on the agenda, with concrete announcements including an agreement to develop precision strike weapons to combat Russian aggression expected.
Here’s the agenda for the day:
10am: Bilateral talks between Sunak and Macron at the Élysée Palace.
11am: Sunak and Macron to meet UK and French business leaders.
2pm: Joint press conference with live video planned.
A joint statement is also expected at the end of the day.
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, and energy secretary Grant Shapps will all meet their French counterparts.
There will also be a focus on rebuilding more cordial relations following tensions over Brexit and the more abrasive approaches of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
The Guardian’s diplomatic correspondent, Patrick Wintour, writes that the summit is “not just important bilaterally, but also in terms of Britain’s relationship with the EU”.
We’ll be keeping you updated with the latest from the summit, where our political correspondent Aletha Adu and France correspondent Angelique Chrisafis are reporting.
Separately, Labour leader Keir Starmer is visiting Scotland today, where he is expected to “pledge to put Scottish innovation at the ‘heart’ of plans to boost the economy”. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is calling for a cut to energy bills and a plan to insulate homes, ahead of the party’s Scottish conference.
