Latest news with #UKFranceRelations
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
OPINION: The Channel is only the last part of the journey!
Small boats bringing illegal migrants were the main story coming from the meeting between Sir Keir Starmer and President Macron recently, but there was really a lot more to talk about. Since William the Conqueror defeated his cousin Harold in 1066, the story between England and France has taken many twists. The raising of two fingers was originally a salute to the French from medieval English archers, showing that the two key fingers for pulling a bow were in good working order! Migrants arriving at the Channel ports have already had a long and arduous journey. Statistics state that seventy per cent of people recently crossing in small boats have come from Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Albania, Syria, or Eritrea, leaving the final strip of water a relatively minor challenge. It is difficult to imagine that any migrant who has reached Calais would then give up! All the gloom and doom in our news should surely put people off wanting to come here, with the bin strike in Birmingham, the economy stagnant or in decline, plus uncertainty over jobs in the gig economy. Certainly, most of the French prefer to stay in France, but President Macron said the UK is too attractive for migrants, making them want to come here. What we do have is a long-standing belief and conviction in the freedom of the individual. Our Parliament evolved into an argumentative debating chamber, where each MP is elected by their own constituency and free to promote constituency interests, not tied to any party. Our Prime Minister may have the right and power to do anything he wants, but unlike Donald Trump and President Macron, he can lose that authority overnight if Parliament so decides! Most important to migrants, and to us, is that we are free to go about our lawful business without being chaperoned or documented by the government, whether local or national. We are not required to carry identity papers, as happens in the USA. The migrant problem is actually much worse for many of our neighbours; more lives are lost crossing the Mediterranean than crossing the Channel. Italy bears the brunt of this, being the most obvious destination for any boat. Germany had a major influx of migrants across their land border with Eastern Europe, and statistics show that Germany has taken in more migrants than other European countries. The UK is lower down the list. "Irregular arrivals" are not the largest number of migrants arriving into our multicultural society. We are already a mixed bunch. The news displays presenters from various ethnic origins quoting experts, many of whom have names which are clearly not British. In general, we have become a multicultural society. This is our strength as it has been for many generations, with Normans, Huguenots, Indians, Africans, and my ancestor blown ashore from the Spanish Armada! The boat people have undertaken long and dangerous journeys to join us, is it fair to condemn them to live in France? We cannot afford generous benefits, nor can we afford to turn away willing workers. But housing asylum seekers awaiting processing while our homeless are sleeping rough is crazy. Migration is a world problem. New migrants, once here, need proper organisation.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Macron kicks off ‘historic' UK state visit
Britain's King Charles is believed to enjoy a warm rapport with French President Emmanuel Macron. (AP pic) WINDSOR : French President Emmanuel Macron received a warm and pomp-filled welcome today from King Charles III as he began a three-day state visit to Britain, the first by an EU head of state since Brexit. Macron, accompanied by his wife Brigitte, hailed an 'important moment for our two nations' after landing and heading straight for Windsor, west of London, to meet the British monarch. 'Together, we will address the major challenges of our time: security, defence, nuclear energy, space, innovation, artificial intelligence, migration, and culture,' he posted on X. The French leader added that Paris and London were seeking to 'deepen our cooperation in a concrete, effective, and lasting way'. The first state visit by an EU head of state since the UK's acrimonious 2020 departure from the European Union, it is also the first by a French president since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008. During his visit, Macron will hold several meetings with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. After taking power in 2024, the British leader has been making good on his pledge to reset relations with European capitals following years of Brexit-fuelled tensions. Their discussions are expected to focus on aid to war-torn Ukraine and bolstering defence spending, as well as joint efforts to stop migrants from crossing the Channel in small boats – a potent political issue in Britain. Calling the visit 'historic', Starmer's office said it would showcase 'the breadth of the existing relationship' between Britain and France. Windsor pomp Macron and his wife Brigitte were greeted off the presidential plane today at an air base northwest of London by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales. In a stylistic nod to her guests, the princess wore a Christian Dior jacket. A short time later Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, warmly welcomed the entourage to Windsor, amid a full display of British pomp and pageantry. The Francophile king, who is believed to enjoy a warm rapport with Macron, could be seen chatting with him enthusiastically during their early interactions. Charles made a 2023 state visit to France, one of his first after ascending the throne and widely regarded as a success. After a 41-gun salute sounded from nearby Home Park and a royal carriage procession through the town, which was decked out in French Tricolores and British Union flags, the group entered the castle for lunch. They will return there later for a state banquet in the vast medieval St George's Hall, when in a speech Charles is set to laud the vital partnership between France and the UK amid a 'multitude of complex threats'. 'As friends and as allies, we face them together,' he will say, according to Buckingham Palace. Before that, Macron will follow in the footsteps of predecessors Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterrand by addressing lawmakers in the UK parliament. The visit also aims to boost trade and business ties, with Paris and London announcing today that French energy giant EDF will have a 12.5-stake in new British nuclear power plant Sizewell C. 'Support for Ukraine' Tomorrow, Macron will have lunch with Starmer and the two leaders will on Thursday co-host the 37th Franco-British Summit, where they are set to discuss opportunities to strengthen defence ties. Britain and France are spearheading talks amongst a 30-nation coalition on how to support a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, including potentially deploying peacekeeping forces. The two leaders will dial in to a meeting of the coalition on Thursday 'to discuss stepping up support for Ukraine and further increasing pressure on Russia', Starmer's office confirmed yesterday. They will speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to the French presidency. Irregular migration is also set to feature in talks between Macron and Starmer. The British leader is under intense pressure to curb cross-Channel arrivals, as Eurosceptic Nigel Farage's hard-right Reform UK party uses the issue to fuel its rise. London has for years pressed Paris to do more to halt the boats leaving from northern French beaches, welcoming footage last Friday showing French police stopping one such boat from departing. Meanwhile, speculation is rife that Macron will use the visit to announce an update on his previous offer to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain. It emerged in 2018 that he had agreed to loan the embroidery, which depicts the 1066 Norman conquest of England, but the move has since stalled. The UK government said yesterday that it continued to 'work closely with our counterparts in France on its planned loan'.
Telegraph
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Richard Tice criticises the King
Reform UK's deputy leader has criticised the King after raising the issue of 'borders' in his State banquet speech. In a rare political swipe at the monarch, Richard Tice said it was 'unwise' for the King to use 'any of that language about the boats' during Emmanuel Macron's state visit. His Majesty had said that Britain and France's shared challenges 'know no borders' and that the two countries 'face a multitude of more complex threats, emanating from multiple directions'. The Reform deputy chief said he believed that Queen Elizabeth II 'would have been much more careful' and would have refrained from raising the subject. At the state banquet at Windsor Castle, the King told attendees: 'These challenges know no borders: no fortress can protect us against them this time. 'Instead, the answer lies in partnership, and we – France and Britain – must help to lead the way. Our two nations share not only values, but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world.' Separately, the monarch later said: 'Our security services and police will go further still to protect us against the profound challenges of terrorism, organised crime, cyber attacks and, of course, irregular migration across the English Channel.' Asked whether he felt the King had 'got the balance right' in his address, Mr Tice told Politico's Westminster Insider podcast: 'The British monarch has a very special role in all state visits and relationships with heads of state. 'I don't think the late Queen would have included any of that language about the boats. I think she would have been much more careful. 'I presume that it's different speech writers, but I just don't think that she would have ended up in that pickle.' 'Unwise for the King to tread there' Asked about the King's remark that the nations' shared challenges 'know no borders', the Reform deputy leader said: 'Well they clearly do involve borders, and it's a critical part of sovereignty. 'I wonder whether the King read his speech or whether he fell into the trap that Keir Starmer fell into by admitting that he didn't read his speeches beforehand and therefore you couldn't rely on him to trust what he actually says. 'I think that is possible. The King obviously makes a lot of speeches, but the late Queen just wouldn't have gone there. She just wouldn't, and that might be something to do with her advisers.' He added: 'I think it was unwise for the King to tread there, that's the role of the political class to debate that sort of thing'. Farage on the King's comments Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, used his GB News show earlier this week to criticise the King's comments. He said: 'I'm not a Republican; I'm not in the habit of criticising the royal family. Perhaps he's been poorly advised. But actually, we are a fortress. We're an island. It gives us massive advantages, as it has done throughout the whole of history. ' And to say there are no borders... well, I suppose in some ways he's right, because at the moment, with the dinghies cross the Channel nothing much seems to happen. But I think the King is making a mistake in saying this.' It comes after the French president met Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, and Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, but not Mr Farage. On Thursday, Mr Macron and Sir Keir announced a pilot 'one-in, one-out' deal for the return of Channel migrants. However, the Prime Minister faces a backlash over the deal, which was only agreed in principle, after it emerged it would likely mean just 50 migrants would be returned to France each week. The French president also used the joint press conference unveiling the deal to blame Brexit for the migrant crisis. He told journalists that the British people had been 'sold a lie' that leaving the EU would 'make it possible to fight more effectively against illegal immigration'. He added that 'our increasing problems require cooperation, a European approach' rather than what 'populists often sold'.
LBCI
10-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Macron urges joint UK-French recognition of Palestinian state
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged joint UK-France recognition of a Palestinian state, calling such moves "the only hope for peace" in the conflict-ridden region. Flanking UK leader Keir Starmer at a news conference as he wrapped up a three-day state visit to Britain, Macron said he wanted to "initiate this political dynamic" of recognising Palestinian statehood. AFP
Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Macron is quite the smoothie, but even bestie Keir wants him to put a sock in it
Emmanuel Macron's visit has brought about a new understanding between Britain and France. After 120 years, the entente cordiale, which always sounds to me like sipping lime juice under canvas, has been upgraded to entente amicale. All pals now. After listening to the French president bang on about it, I wondered whether entente prolixe might not have been le mot juste. My God, Macron is fond of his own voice. Not that those watching on television heard much of it. After a quick 'cher shir kya' the president's mic was turned down and he was replaced by a translator who spoke very rapidly for a long time but constantly sounded like he was trying to stifle a yawn. Sir Keir Starmer, who went first, had gone in heavy with the amicale, saying that Macron had been a 'firm friend to me personally and a firm ally to the United Kingdom'. The besties looked adoringly at each other, then Macron turned to the audience and gave someone in it a little wink. He's quite a smoothie. Starmer explained, with his odd emphasis (' the one-in, one-out proposal in which Britain can send illegal migrants back as long as we take an equal number who haven't tried it on. This may be limited, it has been reported, to 50 a week but he didn't give a number. Meanwhile, 220 people had arrived on Kent beaches by lunchtime. This plan, Starmer told us, would soon be 'operationalised', an appalling piece of jargon that he also used to describe his new Northwood Declaration that Britain and France may one day hold hands as they press the nuclear button together. 'This is truly historic,' he insisted. 'Quite serious diplomacy.' I was more concerned that we didn't already have a co-ordinated nukes policy. Better hope there's a northerly wind if Russia kicks off. Then over to Macron, who spoke for 20 minutes (12 more than Starmer), appeared to blame Larry the Downing Street cat for almost destabilising the talks – the one thing I wanted to hear more about – and said that loaning the Bayeux Tapestry demonstrated our new relationship, it depicting a time when several hundred people came over the Channel in boats and we couldn't send them back. Perhaps the policy they have embroidered this week will end with the motto: 'Hic Keir dux interfectus est.' Above all, though, Macron wanted to lay into Brexit and taunt those who had voted for it. 'You thought it would help ease migration!' he scoffed, adding an implied 'Pah!' Then up popped the one man in the room who is more long-winded than Macron and has an odder speech pattern than Starmer: ITV's Robert Peston. He delivered three long questions in two languages. The Wodehouse line about the 'shifty, hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to talk French' does not apply to Peston. He relished the chance to show off. A startled Starmer reached for his earpiece, perhaps hearing the word 'empêcher' (prevent) and wondering whom Peston wanted impeached. Macron beamed and then delivered another rant about Brexit. Maybe the heat had got to him, for he was curiously wearing a waistcoat on such a sweltering day. ' You were sold a lie on Brexit,' he said, arguing that he spent three euros on migration measures for every quid we spend and attacking those awful populists with their 'denial of science'. Many will agree with him but Starmer wore a pained expression that indicated he would rather Macron put a sock in it. Not helpful, Manu. He half-heartedly said that 'megaphone politics achieves nothing' and complained about those who just take pictures of the problem rather than dealing with it, but he was anxious to avoid discussing Brexit. Unlike Macron, he realises how annoyingly popular populists seem to be.
