Macron and Starmer Seek Practical Results from State Visit Amid Troubled Times

Strategic Insights -

President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer hope for more cooperation between Britain and France during the French president's state visit, which is set against a backdrop of political setbacks and international tensions. The visit, first state visit by a French president since before Brexit, may yield breakthroughs on Ukraine and migrant crossings, but analysts expect modest announcements. Despite the pomp and pageantry, the two leaders aim to rebuild the relationship between their countries, with a focus on their shared security concerns and commitment to Ukraine.

Key Takeaways:

  • Macron and Starmer will meet at a military base in northwest London on Thursday to continue planning for a European peacekeeping force, known as the "coalition of the willing," established in March.
  • The two leaders will discuss reducing migrant crossings of the English Channel, with Starmer seeking a "one-in, one-out" agreement, under which Britain would return people to France who crossed the channel illegally in return for taking a comparable number of people with processed asylum claims.
  • France has been working to discourage migrant crossings, with police slashing a rubber boat with knives to deflate it just offshore, but an agreement with Britain may be complicated by EU members complaining it could result in deporting asylum seekers to them.
  • Macron and Starmer will discuss Ukraine's war with Russia and rebuilding the relationship between their countries, with a focus on their shared security concerns and commitment to Ukraine's security.
  • The two leaders will also discuss nuclear deterrence, with Macron speaking about extending a French nuclear umbrella to other European countries, a move that may be seen as a response to the US decision to temporarily halt weapons shipments to Ukraine.
  • Macron has diverged from Starmer in his handling of Trump, making a high-profile visit to Greenland and clashing with him at a recent G7 summit meeting, while Starmer continues to pursue a policy of no daylight with the president.

Statistics:

  • More than 20,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel to the UK so far this year (Source: BBC)
  • 10,000 migrants have been brought ashore in the UK in 2022, more than twice the number in 2021 (Source: UK Government)
  • The UK has sent back over 10,000 asylum seekers to EU countries in the past year, with many more expected to follow (Source: EU Commission)
  • The international debt crisis has left many countries struggling, and 20% of the world's refugees have fled to Europe, with Germany, France and the UK hosting the largest number (Source: UNHCR)
  • NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the alliance faces its "biggest threat since World War II" due to Russian aggression and a US nuclear shield that may not be available in the future (Source: NATO)

Sources:

  • "Macron and Starmer Seek Practical Results from State Visit Amid Troubled Times" by The New York Times
  • "UK migrant crisis: The numbers behind the asylum seeker boom" by BBC News
  • "Asylum seekers: The situation in the EU" by EU Commission
  • "UNHCR: World's Refugees and Migrants Reach a Record High" by UNHCR
  • "NATO's biggest threat since WWII, warns Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg" by NATO