Sir Keir Starmer meeting Emmanuel Macron during the French president's state visit (Image: Getty)

       Sir Keir Starmer promised Emmanuel Macron that the UK would continue to crack down on illegal working after France warned that failure to enforce employment laws was encouraging small boat crossings. The French president had complained that the prospect of a job in Britain was acting as a “pull” factor, leading to more illegal immigration and causing chaos on both sides of the Channel.

       Following the first stage of discussions between the pair on Wednesday, a Downing Street spokesperson said enforcement work had already been stepped up, but that the Government would "go further". The spokesperson said: “The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions. The Prime Minister spoke of his Government’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.

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       “The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs.”

       But the Prime Minister's hopes of a deal with France to end the small boats crisis were on a knife-edge as it emerged just 50 illegal migrants a week might be sent back across the Channel. Sir Keir hopes to unveil an agreement on Thursday, Thursday, alongside Mr Macron, on the final day of the president’s state visit to the UK.

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       Talks will continue on a proposed “one-in, one-out” deal allowing the UK to deport illegal migrants back to France. In return, the UK would accept asylum seekers with a link to this country, such as those with family members here.

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       There are reports that a pilot scheme will allow the UK to return just a fraction of the arrivals arriving in small boats, after 517 made the crossing on Friday, June 4 alone.

       Sir Keir also faced opposition from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who told the Prime Minister: “The country demands that he says to the French president that we will not accept undocumented males coming across the English Channel.”

       More than 21,000 people have crossed the Channel unlawfully so far in 2025, a record for this point in the year.

       While Mr Macron held intense discussions with Sir Keir in Downing Street, Lady Starmer gave Brigitte Macron a tour of No 10.

       The two leaders discussed defence and the global economy, but cutting small boat crossings was top of the agenda. Sir Keir is calling on French authorities to intervene when migrants are in shallow water off the coast, amid fears that police have simply stood and watched while dinghies set off.

       French police last week waded into shallow waters near Boulogne and used knives to puncture an inflatable small boat. The UK is calling for similar action to become a regular occurrence.

       Current rules require police to intervene while boats are still on land, but these could be changed to allow police interventions up to 300 metres off the coastline.

       Sir Keir is also keen to win agreement on the “one-in, one-out” deal, but France is facing opposition from EU members in southern Europe, which fear such an agreement could ultimately lead to more asylum seekers staying in their countries.

       Spain, Italy, Greece, Malta and Cyprus wrote a letter to the European Commission last month raising concerns, although France and the UK could potentially sign a bilateral deal without their consent.

       Mr Farage issued a warning in the Commons, insisting: “The main reason this country wisely voted for Brexit back in 2016, including millions of Labour supporters, is because we wanted to take back control of our borders, so that we and we alone get to decide who comes and settles in our country.”

       Speaking as he was heckled by furious Labour MPs, Mr Farage insisted Sir Keir must ensure “you are not dictated to by an increasingly arrogant, anti-Brexit French president”.

       The Prime Minister responded to Mr Farage by saying: “He has no interest in fixing the problem. He wants to milk it and exploit it."

       Talks will continue on Thursday, when other ministers will also take part in a Downing Street UK-France summit.

       The Prime Minister and the French president are also due to hold a virtual meeting with countries contributing to a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine, known as the "coalition of the willing".

       But the key moment will come towards the end of the day, when the pair appear together before the media and a new crackdown on small boats could be announced.

       Mr Macron said the partnership between the UK and France was “a game changer” for Europe and said his state visit, the first by a French president since Brexit, played a “unique role in these challenging times”.

       He said the alliance between the two countries will help “build stronger links and make big moves forward on defence, security, technology, economy” as well as “more exchange on culture, education, research and when we look at climate change, AI, but as well as challenging times from Ukraine to Middle East”.

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       Sir Keir highlighted “the strength of the bond between our countries” as he welcomed Mr Macron to Downing Street. He said the visit was “hugely symbolic of the closeness between our countries and our personal relationship and I’m so delighted to have you here”.

       The Prime Minister added: “Whether it’s on defence and security, whether it’s on Ukraine, whether it’s on trade and economy, business opportunities, capabilities, we think alike, we work together, and I feel this relationship is as strong as it's ever been.”

       Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also met Mr Macron on Tuesday night, alongside shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel.

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