Anglo-French migration deal hangs in the balance

Anglo-French talks over a migration deal were deadlocked last night with negotiators haggling over how much Britain would pay towards the cost of policing small boat crossings.

- Kiran Stacey Jon Henley Paris

Keir Starmer had hoped to unveil a returns deal - under which Britain would send back some asylum seekers once they had crossed the Channel - as the key prize of a three-day state visit by the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

But just hours before the start of a bilateral summit today, aides on both sides said there remained several significant hurdles to a deal, including money, potential legal challenges in France and ongoing opposition from other European countries.

One British official said the talks were “complex” and “fluid”, adding that they needed to be agreed not only with France but also in consultation with other EU countries.

A Downing Street spokesperson said that the prime minister was hoping to make “concrete progress” on a range of issues, including irregular migration at today’s summit. A French source, meanwhile, said Paris’s demands for more money to help with policing on its northern coast were “clearly very politically sensitive” for the UK.

Macron’s visit continued yesterday with talks between the two leaders in Downing Street, followed by a visit by both men to the British Museum to formally announce the loan of the Bayeux tapestry to the UK.

The visit has been symbolically important to the Starmer, who wants to show that his EU “reset” has helped restore good relations with the UK’s major European partners.