Conservative MPs backed a decision to send around £500 million to France to help the country stop asylum seekers ahead of a budget bill that is expected to put Britain under financial pressure for another year. questioning.
Rishi Sunak said the deal, which includes a new detention center in France for migrants arrested trying to get to the UK in dangerous small boats, would reduce border crossings and prove a “wise investment”. It is claimed to help
Mr. Sunak traveled to Paris on Friday for the first French-British summit in five years and met one-on-one with Mr. Macron for more than an hour, during which the two leaders agreed on a series of talks, including strengthening cooperation on the Channel ships. I summarized the announcement. crisis.
They revealed that the UK would pay €541m (£480m) over three years to guard the borders of the countries they passed through en route to France.
British officials will reside in France as part of a new “zonal coordination center” designed to bring together the various branches of French and British law enforcement. But Mr Macron argues that France has not agreed to accept migrants whose asylum claims in the UK have been rejected, and that only an EU-wide agreement is in force.
Several Conservative MPs have complained about the costs of the deal, which comes five days before the budget is expected to confirm continued pressure on UK public spending. I: “We can keep throwing more money, more kits, more joint espionage and hopefully more joint patrols into the beaches, but the French will always try to intercept them. I refuse to arrest you when you do…on a new boat.”
Jonathan Garris added: A former minister also said: We are considered suckers by the French. ”
British government sources say the French government spends about five times as much on the program as the British government.
Amnesty International attacked “a ruthless refugee policy that seeks to absolve the UK of any responsibility”.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added: He has been unable to reach a return agreement, and it appears that new legislation he is planning will make it even more difficult to reach important agreements with Europe. ”
As with the migration agreement, Sunak and Macron agreed to work more closely on defense and energy policy, including building more power interconnections under the strait.
The two leaders met each other at a press conference after more than an hour of conversation, which took place without the presence of officials, in a format favored by President Macron but very unusual in British diplomacy. We exchanged warm words.
“It’s a moment of reunion, reunion and new beginnings,” the president said. The Prime Minister praised Mr Macron’s handling of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, adding: And one thing he can’t control is who he gets as an international counterpart. I feel very lucky to be able to serve you all and I am very excited about the future we can build together. Merci, monami
The men were about the same age and both worked in the financial industry, but when Mr. Sunak came to power they first had to rebuild the shattered relationship that suffered during the Johnson and Truss era. .
Macron and Boris Johnson got along well when they first met – including their own extended one-on-one talks – but as time went on, they fell off dramatically. “One of the phone calls during the vaccine war was the moodiest phone call I’ve ever heard,” a source said.
Nonetheless, they made some progress on migration and came close to an agreement to put the British “boot” on the ground, with Border Patrol officers patrolling alongside their French counterparts. Mr Macron was ‘friend or foe’ during the Conservative leadership campaign. I understand.
When Sunak took over, his team was forced to scale back their migration demands. The No 10 source says he didn’t even bother to ask for a return agreement because he knew it wasn’t acceptable. After discussing rugby over vegetarian sushi in Paris, Mr Macron’s insistence that the two leaders need to “fix the Brexit outcome” doesn’t endear him to all conservatives It may be, but it is possible that Kyowakyosho is getting closer to being refreshed.
