PM meeting with President Macron of France: 9 January 2025
Prime Minister Keir Starmer met France’s President Emmanuel Macron this evening at Chequers.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer met France’s President Emmanuel Macron this evening at Chequers.
The President began by thanking the Prime Minister for the kind invitation, and both noted this was the first visit of a French President to Chequers in a decade.
The Prime Minister updated the French President on the UK’s reset with the EU, and both leaders agreed on the strength of the UK-France relationship.
The Prime Minister updated the President on the UK’s new sanctions regime announced today, which will target the financial operations of people smuggling gangs.
As an important step in tackling the shared challenge of illegal migration, both leaders agreed to closer bilateral cooperation to prevent the vile trade of small boat crossings in the Channel.
Discussing wider global stability, they both underscored the need for unity in uncertain times. On the Middle East, the Prime Minister and President agreed on the importance of stability and security in the region, as well as the need to avoid regional escalation.
On Ukraine, the leaders reiterated their unwavering support and discussed the importance of ensuring Ukraine is in the strongest possible position in 2025.
Turning to the UK-France bilateral Summit taking place later this year, the leaders discussed their aims to deepen cooperation on growth, defence, security, AI and energy to deliver for people in both the UK and France.
They looked forward to seeing one another soon.