The visit takes place as the UK faces a sharp rise in small boat crossings from France, with over 21,000 migrants arriving across the channel so far this year.
In the first state visit to Britain by a European leader since Brexit, French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to discuss key issues including illegal immigration and security.
Macron’s three-day visit, beginning on Tuesday, includes a meeting with King Charles III at Windsor Castle, an address to Parliament at Westminster, and a bilateral summit.
On Thursday, the leaders will convene at the 37th Franco-British summit, where they are expected to address a broad agenda spanning illegal immigration, economic growth, defense, and security cooperation.
The summit comes amid a surge in illegal small boat crossings across the English Channel from France to the UK.
The UK Home Office reiterated in a recent statement its commitment to ending what it called “dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine” British border security.
Despite joint law enforcement efforts in northern France, and collaboration with European partners to dismantle smuggling networks, more than 21,000 illegal immigrants have crossed the channel so far this year.
Macron and Starmer last met at the G7 Summit in Canada, where they agreed that illegal immigration must be treated as a top priority “given the deteriorating situation in the Channel.”
France–UK Cooperation
Over the past year, the UK and France have deepened cooperation on illegal channel crossings.
In February, the two countries agreed to extend the financial deal on tackling small‑boat crossings until 2027, and to redirect more than 8 million euros ($9.3 million) of existing funding in support of some “new, stronger enforcement plans.”
As part of the plan, British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau agreed to launch a new specialist intelligence and judicial police unit in the French coastal city of Dunkirk to speed up the arrest and prosecution of smugglers.
Other measures include more drone pilots to expand surveillance and intercept boats before they reach the sea.
