PM meeting with President Macron of France: 3 September 2026
The Prime Minister hosted the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, at Downing Street today.
The Prime Minister hosted the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, at Downing Street today.
The Prime Minister began by thanking President Macron for France’s loan of the Bayeux Tapestry, which he said symbolised common bonds between the UK and France, and was a statement of unity in an increasingly divided world.
Turning to small boats, the Prime Minister said the cooperation between both countries was clearly working and operational teams were making headway on driving down numbers and reducing crossings.
It was now vital to ensure that success was scaled up across Europe to deter illegal migration, the leaders agreed.
The leaders also discussed the UK’s drive to get closer to Europe, and the Prime Minister set out how the Made in Europe agenda could pose significant challenges for UK industry. The leaders agreed it was vital to work together to find a way forward to protect shared interests.
On Ukraine, they discussed next steps on establishing local assembly lines in Ukraine for the long-range missile, SCALP, which uses British technology, and reflected on the successful Coalition of the Willing meeting in Kyiv last week.
The two leaders also reflected the situation in the Middle East, including the need to ensure de-escalation in the Strait of Hormuz. The Prime Minister also raised Israel’s latest move on the E1 settlement, adding that it was unacceptable and only served to undermine the prospect of the two-state solution.
The leaders agreed to step up work across the full spectrum of shared challenges to deliver for people in both countries and looked forward to speaking again soon.