Starmer will press 'one-in, one-out' plan

10/7/2025 6:12

British Prime Minister Keir

Starmer will hope to win agreement from President Emmanuel

Macron on tougher measures to control migration on Thursday, the

final day of a three-day trip when the French leader was

lavished with pomp and ceremony.



After being welcomed by King Charles, who sat next to Macron

in a carriage procession to Windsor Castle on Tuesday, Starmer

will want to see something concrete to back up Macron's promise

of greater "cooperation and tangible results" on migration.



Starmer, whose popularity has slumped since he won an

election landslide last year, needs a win on bringing down high

levels of immigration, particularly the number of asylum seekers

arriving in small boats, to try to curtail the rise of Britain's

populist Reform UK party, led by Brexit veteran Nigel Farage.



The British leader hopes to reach a deal on a so-called "one

in, one out" migrant returns deal - a plan that would see

Britain deporting to France people arriving in small boats in

return for taking an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers.



But Macron has also spoken of the need for Britain to

address "migration pull factors", suggesting he wanted Starmer

to go further in making it harder for migrants to find work in

Britain when they do not have legal status to live there.



Downing Street said the two leaders had agreed during a

bilateral meeting on Wednesday that they needed new innovative

solutions, with Starmer stressing that Britain was increasingly

arresting undocumented workers to deter them from coming to

Britain for jobs.



Even if a returns deal is not reached on Thursday, the two

leaders will hail a visit that saw Macron treated to all the

trimmings of a state visit, including a banquet where he spent

much of his time chatting to King Charles, with whom he shares a

close personal relationship.



Starmer and Macron will hail an agreement to order more

Storm Shadow cruise missiles, now used in Ukraine, and a deal to

deepen their nuclear cooperation, which will say for the first

time that the respective deterrents of both countries can be

co-ordinated.



"As close partners and NATO allies, the UK and France have a

deep history of defence collaboration and today's agreements

take our partnership to the next level," Starmer said in a

statement. "We stand ready to use our shared might to advance

our joint capabilities."



The agreements deepen work between Britain and France on

Ukraine after both nations spearheaded a "coalition of the

willing" to help create a planned force to support Kyiv in the

event of a ceasefire with Russia.



An Elysee official said: "We are providing capabilities to

Europeans in the face of these increased threats, and in the

nuclear field, we are strengthening our solidarity and the

anchor of our two countries."



The state visit, the first for a European leader since

Britain left the European Union, was a boost for both leaders

from domestic troubles, a chance to celebrate closer ties

between two nations often at loggerheads over Brexit.