Macron arrives for UK state visit

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in London on Tuesday for a three-day state visit, the first to the United Kingdom by any European Union leader since the country's exit from the EU, with immigration policy expected to be high on the diplomatic agenda.

"Together, we will address the major challenges of our time: security, defense, nuclear energy, space, innovation, artificial intelligence, migration, and culture," said Macron in a social media post moments after landing in the UK.

The president made a joint address to members of the House of Commons and House of Lords, before a formal banquet was given in his honor by King Charles at Windsor Castle, where Macron and his wife Brigitte will stay.

In his speech to the Parliament, Macron said: "France and the United Kingdom have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and firmness."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet Macron on Thursday, and is reported to be hoping that a deal can be agreed between the two countries over the issue of small boats full of migrants crossing the English Channel, as since Brexit, the UK has no way of returning people who manage to successfully complete the perilous crossing.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper said that there were hopes of a "one in, one out" deal, which would see France take people back in return for the UK accepting similar numbers of asylum seekers from France, but government sources said talks were on-going, and the matter was described as "complex" and "in the balance".

"We expect to make progress on a wide range of issues and joint priorities, and that includes migration," a representative of Starmer's office told The Guardian newspaper. "I'm not going to get ahead of the summit this week, but there are a range of maritime tactics that we have been discussing and have secured agreement with the French over."

In his banquet speech, the monarch, who speaks fluent French, referred to the "shared history and culture between our two peoples", but also the "multitude of complex threats … emanating from multiple directions", and challenges, such as defense and climate change, that "know no borders" and from which "no fortress can protect us".

Former British ambassador to France Peter Ricketts told Sky News that although the king's position is strictly apolitical and neutral, as he enjoys a warm friendship with Macron, he could play a vital diplomatic role in improving relations with France, which have become strained in the aftermath of Brexit.

"I think his job is to set the scene, to remind everyone that Britain and France are old nations, they have an enormous amount to share, the history is there and depth of personal relationships and that is the backdrop for Keir Starmer to get into the questions where maybe there are still differences," he said.

julian@mail.chinadailyuk.com