Burnham and Macron discuss migration, Ukraine and trade in London
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron held talks in London on September 3 on migration, the war in Ukraine and trade. The meeting took place at the British prime minister’s office on Downing Street and was Burnham’s first reception of a European leader since taking office on July 20, Al Jazeera English reports.
English Channel crossings
The sides discussed crossings of the English Channel in small boats, including the use of large inflatable boats to transport undocumented migrants and asylum seekers to England’s southern coast. The British government said that the number of small-boat arrivals in the country had fallen to its lowest level since 2020, but authorities will continue to counter criminal groups facilitating dangerous crossings.
According to the UK government, France will deploy an additional group of 45 officers on the country’s western beaches in the coming weeks. This is intended to supplement an agreement signed in April on limiting unauthorized crossings of the English Channel. Burnham said that the progress achieved over the summer demonstrates the potential for cooperation between London and Paris.
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Trade and defence
Burnham also seeks closer post-Brexit cooperation between the UK and Europe to support domestic economic growth. At the same time, he has not abandoned his predecessor’s position of not returning the country to the EU single market and customs union, as well as to the bloc’s free movement rules.
The British side raised the issue of the EU’s Made in Europe initiative, intended to protect the steel industry of member states. A UK government representative said that this initiative could create significant difficulties for British industry. Macron called the talks an important moment in bilateral relations and expressed readiness for further rapprochement between the countries.
In the field of defence, the leaders discussed next steps for establishing local assembly lines in Ukraine for the long-range SCALP missile, which uses British technology. They also discussed the results of the Coalition of the Willing meeting held in Kyiv last week.
