British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed migration, the conflict in Ukraine, and trade during an official meeting in London.
The discussions, conducted in Burnham’s Downing Street office on Thursday, were the first occasion the prime minister has welcomed a European leader since succeeding former Labour Party leader Keir Starmer on July 20.
Burnham and Macron addressed common issues, such as small boat crossings and the “growing use of mega dinghies” ferrying undocumented migrants and asylum seekers to England’s southern coast, as stated in a press release from the UK government.
Downing Street reported that the UK experienced the fewest small boat arrivals since 2020, but “the government will continue to target the criminal gangs enabling the perilous crossings,” the statement indicated.
In reply, the UK government announced that France will send a “surge team” of 45 officers to the western coast of France in the next few weeks, expanding on an agreement made in April to reduce unauthorized small boat crossings in the English Channel.
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Burnham stated, "The advancements observed this summer demonstrate what can be accomplished when the UK collaborates with France."
The British prime minister is aiming for enhanced post-Brexit collaboration with Europe to invigorate slow domestic growth.
He stated that Britain needs to be “bolder” in its approach to the EU but has declined to overturn his predecessor’s dismissal of rejoining the bloc’s single market or customs union and resuming its internal freedom of movement policies.
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Concerns arise that the EU’s Made in Europe initiative, aimed at safeguarding the steel sectors of the 27-nation bloc, may adversely affect Britain’s ailing steel industry.
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“The Prime Minister set out how the Made in Europe agenda could pose significant challenges for UK industry,” as per reports.