French President Emmanuel Macron arrived at Downing Street for talks with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on September 3, 2026. The meeting, attended by their wives Brigitte Macron and Marie-France Burnham, focused on the ongoing issue of illegal crossings of the English Channel.
Prime Minister Burnham is expected to use the discussions to press for increased French action to prevent migrants from crossing the Channel. The leaders are set to announce plans for a new "surge team" of French police, to be funded by the UK, aimed at tackling the use of large inflatable boats capable of carrying up to 230 migrants. However, government sources have indicated that this team will consist of only 45 additional officers.
Additionally, Prime Minister Burnham intends to ask President Macron to extend the existing "one in, one out" deal. This agreement, implemented in its first year, has resulted in the removal of fewer than 30 illegal migrants per week. The leaders had spent the previous evening together viewing the Bayeux Tapestry with the King, with Burnham describing Macron as a "strong friend of Britain."
With a UK-EU summit scheduled for the autumn, Prime Minister Burnham may also use the occasion to propose ideas for closer ties with Europe. He has noted that the decrease in Channel crossings over the summer demonstrates what can be achieved through cooperation between the UK and France. However, political opponents in the UK have criticized the new plans, labeling them a "joke" and attributing the recent reduction in crossings primarily to adverse weather conditions.