Macron state visit live: Macron visits No 10 as Starmer tries to seal ‘one in, one out’ small boats crisis deal

Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron will hold talks at No 10 as the UK pushes for France to do more to stop migrant crossings.

The French president arrived on Tuesday for the first state visit by an EU head of state since Brexit.

It comes as the UK has been pressing for tougher action from the French authorities on the beaches along the Channel coast.

The Prime Minister hopes to strike a “one in, one out” deal to send small boat migrants back to the continent, in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link.

Alongside Downing Street talks, Sir Keir and Mr Macron are also expected to attend a reception with UK and French businesses and an event at the British Museum on Wednesday.

Their spouses, Brigitte Macron and Lady Victoria Starmer, will have tea and a tour of Downing Street together, followed by all four having lunch.

State visits are ceremonial meetings between heads of state that are used to honor friendly nations and sometimes smooth relations between rivals.

While the king formally issues the invitation for a state visit, he does so on the advice of the elected government.

State visits to Britain are particularly prized by heads of state because they come with a full complement of royal pomp and circumstance, including military reviews, carriage rides and a glittering state banquet hosted by the monarch.

The events normally take place in and around Buckingham Palace in central London.

But the Macrons will stay at Windsor Castle, to the west of the capital. Buckingham Palace is undergoing extensive remodeling.

Government minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said he would not give a “running commentary” on negotiations with the French on a one in, one out deal for cross-Channel migrants.

But he insisted joint working with the French was already making a difference, despite record numbers making the trip in small boats so far in 2025.

The Cabinet Office minister told Times Radio: “I’m not going to give a running commentary on discussions on specific proposals.

“But with regard to the work that is going on with France to tackle the small boat crossings in the English Channel, we can already see that bearing fruit.”

He acknowledged the high number of crossings in the first half of the year but added: “Our work with the French authorities has prevented 12,000 people from crossing the Channel. We’ve seized 600 small boats.

“Now, I’m not saying for a moment this isn’t a difficult problem to solve. There is no silver bullet for it, but that work with the French, that joint work with the French, is hugely important, and it will only deepen. “

This morning, Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron will hold talks at No 10 as the UK pushes for France to do more to stop migrant crossings.

Mr and Mrs Macron will also privately visit St George’s Chapel, Windsor, to lay flowers on the Tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.

The King will then show President Macron the Windsor Castle Gardens before they are joined by the Queen and Mrs Macron.

In the afternoon, the Macrons will join the PM and Lady Starmer for lunch at 10 Downing Street.

By the evening, the Macrons, joined by The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, will attend a banquet at Guildhall, given by the Lord Mayor and City of London Corporation.

The French Tricolor and Britain’s Union flag hang from the standards near Windsor Castle. The carriages are primed, the tiaras polished.

French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, arrived in Britain on Tuesday at the start of a state visit as the two countries highlight their long friendship with conspicuous displays of military pomp, golden carriages and royal toasts.

The backdrop for day one is Windsor Castle, a royal fortress for over 900 years that remains a working palace today.

Prince William and the Princess of Wales greeted the Macrons at RAF Northolt outside London.

King Charles III later formally welcomed the couple later at Windsor Castle, where they rode in a horse-drawn carriage and reviewed a military guard of honor. The first day ended with a state banquet at the castle.

Charles and Queen Camilla traveled to France in September 2023 in a visit that highlighted the historic ties between Britain and its closest European neighbor.

That royal trip came after years of sometimes prickly relations strained by Britain’s exit from the European Union and disagreements over the growing number of migrants crossing the English Channel on small boats.

President Macron’s arrival in Britain marks the first state visit by a French head of state since President Nicolas Sarkozy traveled to London in 2008.

Just why is it that we never see the French first lady, Brigitte Macron, commit a fashion faux pas?

How is it that this 72-year-old grandmother can, for example, pull off black leather trousers, really quite short dresses, or a swimming costume for a cover shoot?

With the Macron’s three-day state visit to the UK this week providing yet another welcome opportunity for scrutiny of Madame Macron’s impeccable wardrobe. With those impossibly toned, glossy bronzed legs, the power blow-dries and endless outfit wins she always seems to exemplify faultless French chic.

That has been the British government’s hope on previous occasions, notably when Rishi Sunak, Sir Keir’s predecessor, visited Paris two years ago. Each time a deal has seemed close, but each time Mr Macron has shied away.

The outline of the potential deal is known, and has not been denied by either side. The idea is that France will allow Britain to return migrants who cross the Channel by small boat, and that Britain will take an equal number of people whose application for asylum in the UK has been accepted at processing centres in France.