On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron travels to London for a state visit that will include tense political discussions over immigration across the English Channel and royal pomp. Macron and Keir Starmer, his British colleague, are also expected to move on with plans for a post-ceasefire security force in Ukraine, a concept that the US rejected when the French leader first proposed it.
As the first head of state from the European Union to visit the UK after Brexit, Macron’s three-day visit, which King Charles III invited, is seen as a sign of Starmer’s administration’s intention to mend fences with the union.
Small-boat crossing is a contentious topic for governments on both sides of the canal, and senior officials are scheduled to debate it on Thursday. Every year, hundreds of migrants try to get from northern France to the UK, frequently by hiding in lorries or travelling over the Channel in tiny boats.
However, the impact of the accords has been little. After 46,000 in 2022, some 37,000 persons were found to be crossing the English Channel in tiny boats in 2024, which was the second-highest number of any year. In the first half of 2025, over 20,000 individuals crossed the border, which is around 50% more than at the same time previous year.
Also Read:
Trump Orders Target to Abandon its Diversity Initiative
The UAE and the UK Strengthen their Cooperation to Stop illegal Financial Flows
