Anglo-French efforts to stop migrant boats from crossing the Channel are ‘clearly working’ Andy Burnham told Emmanuel Macron today as they held talks in London.
The Prime Minister said that ‘headway’ was being made on cutting both the number of people making the perilous journey and the number of overall crossings as he met the president in No10.
While the combined total number of crossings over the summer months has dropped to its lowest since 2019, smugglers appear to have started loading more people on to fewer, larger vessels.
The two leaders announced plans for a new ‘surge team’ of French police, funded by Britain, to tackle the growing use of ‘mega-dinghies’, carrying up to 230 migrants.
But government sources have admitted that it will involve just 45 extra officers and the Conservatives branded the plans a ‘joke’, arguing that rough weather was the main reason for the reduction.
Mr Burnham also used the meeting to press Labour’s case for a Brexit ‘reset’ that would draw the UK closer to EU rules and regulations than at any time since it left the bloc.
During Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Burnham reiterated that Britain’s decade of low growth ‘has been partly a result of Brexit’.
‘I do want a closer relationship – I will build on the work of my predecessor,’ he told MPs, ahead of a UK-EU summit later in the year.
Andy Burnham and his wife Marie-France (left) embraced Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte (right) outside the famous black door
The red carpet had been rolled out for the visit of the president, matching Mrs Macron’s striking outfit
The Prime Minister said that ‘headway’ was being made on cutting both the number of people making the perilous journey (file pic)
The PM and his wife Marie-France embraced Mr Macron and wife Brigitte outside the famous black door this morning.
The red carpet had been rolled out for the visit of the president, matching Mrs Macron’s striking outfit.
And Mr Burnham hailed his fellow leader as a ‘strong friend of Britain’, after they spent yesterday evening viewing the Bayeux Tapestry together with the King.
A No10 spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister began by thanking President Macron for France’s loan of the Bayeux Tapestry, which he said symbolised common bonds between the UK and France, and was a statement of unity in an increasingly divided world.
‘Turning to small boats, the Prime Minister said the cooperation between both countries was clearly working and operational teams were making headway on driving down numbers and reducing crossings.
‘It was now vital to ensure that success was scaled up across Europe to deter illegal migration, the leaders agreed.
‘The leaders also discussed the UK’s drive to get closer to Europe, and the Prime Minister set out how the Made in Europe agenda could pose significant challenges for UK industry.
‘The leaders agreed it was vital to work together to find a way forward to protect shared interests.’
