French president to reject plan to solve Channel crisis

Emmanuel Macron is expected to reject Britain's request to return small boat asylum seekers to France, after his calls for more safe and legal routes to the UK were ignored.

- KATE DEVLIN & LIZZIE DEARDEN

The French president will not publicly embarrass Rishi Sunak over the issue, which could prove a major stumbling block to hopes of a breakthrough when the two meet in Paris later today.

But sources made clear Mr Macron had not wavered in his position.

Ahead of the first UK-France summit in five years, a French diplomatic source said Mr Sunak's new plan to turn away all migrants on small boats has not persuaded Paris to change stance. "The general assessment has not changed," the source said. And, in a reference to calls for more small boats to be stopped before they leave French beaches, the source added: "You can't solve the issue only with more police on the coast." At the summit, the leaders are expected to discuss: 

"Forging a new relationship" after last week's historic pos-tBrexit trade deal

How the UK government believes its small boats plan will deter migrants

Immigration, energy security, terrorism and defeating Putin in Ukraine 

A deal on missiles to bolster Nato.

The UK government is clear that in time it would like a bilateral agreement with Paris that would allow London to immediately return those arriving on British shores unlawfully from France.

However, it is working incrementally so a specific request is not expected to be made by Mr Sunak during the meeting.

Labour has also said the summit would be a "total failure" if no agreement was struck with France on migrant returns.