WATCH IN FULL: Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron announce 'ground-breaking one in, one out' migrant plan

GB News

Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have reached agreement on a "groundbreaking" migration deal that will see small boat arrivals returned to France in exchange for asylum seekers coming to the UK through legal routes.The Prime Minister announced the breakthrough at a joint press conference with the French President on Thursday, following lengthy negotiations that had been hanging in the balance just hours before.Under the pilot scheme, migrants who cross the Channel illegally will be sent back to France, whilst the UK will accept a different individual via safe and controlled channels, subject to strict security checks.WATCH THE CLIP ABOVE FOR MORE

Transcript

00:00We first met in the Alize, I think about two years ago, before I came into office when

00:06I was leader of the opposition. And it was clear to me then that we had a shared sense

00:12of the dangerous times that we are living through and of our responsibility to step

00:17up and to lead. We also share the fundamental belief that we serve our people better, create

00:26better jobs and opportunities, make our nation stronger, fairer and more secure if we work

00:33together. And the State Visit has been a celebration of this relationship, our unique bonds of history

00:42and of culture. And today our task is to look forward, to deliver a step change in this partnership,

00:51to meet the challenges of this moment and get the results that people want to see, starting

00:58first with tackling illegal migration. Now, this is a global crisis and it is a European

01:05crisis, but it is also very acutely a crisis for our two nations, a crisis of law, security,

01:15humanity and fairness. We face a sprawling, multi-billion-pound enterprise run by organised

01:23criminal gangs, leading hundreds of people to their death in the Channel. So we are determined,

01:30together, to end this vile trade. There is no silver bullet here, but with a united effort,

01:39new tactics and a new level of intent, we can finally turn the tables. So I am pleased to

01:46announce our agreement today on a ground-breaking returns pilot. For the very first time, migrants

01:54arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order. In exchange

02:05for every return, a different individual will be allowed to come here, via a safe route, controlled

02:13and legal, subject to strict security checks, and only open to those who have not tried to enter the UK

02:23illegally. This will show others trying to make the same journey, that it will be in vain, and the jobs

02:32they have been promised in the UK will no longer exist, because of the nationwide crackdown we are

02:37delivering on illegal working, which is on a completely unprecedented scale. The President and I have

02:44agreed that this pilot will be implemented in coming weeks. Now, I know some people will still ask,

02:53why should we take anyone in? So let me address that directly. We accept genuine asylum seekers,

03:01because it is right that we offer a haven to those in most dire need. But there is also something else

03:09here, something more practical, which is that we simply cannot solve a challenge like stopping the boats

03:16by acting alone and telling our allies that we won't play ball. That is why today's agreement is so

03:24important, because we will solve this, like so many of our problems, by working together. Just look at the

03:32steps the French Government is planning, subject to their ongoing maritime review, to allow their

03:39officers to intervene in shallow waters and prevent more boats from launching. That is a big step, and I

03:45want to thank the President for driving it through. So this is our plan together, hard-headed, aggressive

03:53action on all fronts, to break the gang's business model, secure our borders and show that by attempting

04:02to reach the UK by small boat will only end in failure, detention and return. Second, we have also

04:11made real progress today on boosting jobs and growth, building on our new agreement with the EU.

04:18We are ambitious for what we can do together as G7 economies, close trading partners and leaders in

04:26areas that will dominate in years to come. Together, our countries account for over half of European

04:33spending on research and technology. So we have gone further today, collaborating on satellite connectivity,

04:41bringing together our leading supercomputers to seize the opportunities created by AI,

04:47bringing down barriers to trade and investment in strategic sectors. Just this week, we have

04:53welcomed EDF's major investment in Saizwell C, which will create thousands of jobs, boost our energy

05:02security and protect bill payers for years to come. Third, we have strengthened our work to stand

05:11together for European security and in support of Ukraine. Because I'm clear, the security of the

05:20British people starts in Ukraine. We have just co-chaired a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing,

05:27including representatives from the United States for the first time. We announced plans for a new

05:35multinational force for Ukraine, headquartered in Paris, so that we are ready to support a peace deal

05:42when it comes. But while Putin turns his back on peace, we are rallying more support for Ukraine

05:50right now to defend their people and force Putin to the table. Now, as Europe's only nuclear powers,

05:59and as leaders in NATO, we play a vital role in preserving the peace and security on this continent.

06:09So today we have updated the historic Lancaster House Treaty to protect our people and our way of work.

06:17This is a major modernisation. We are overhauling the combined joint expeditionary force to make it

06:25five times larger, 50,000 troops strong, able to act across every domain. But we're going further.

06:35This morning, we signed the Northwood Declaration, confirming for the first time that we are coordinating

06:44our independent nuclear deterrence. From today, our adversaries will know that any extreme threat

06:52to this continent would prompt a response from our two nations. There is no greater demonstration

07:00of the importance of this relationship. And while we stand together for our collective defence,

07:06we must also deliver a defence dividend for working people. So we have agreed a deeper

07:12industrial partnership today to bring our defence industries closer than ever before.

07:17We are not just talking about stepping up on defence jobs and growth. We are delivering it.

07:26Previous governments tried and failed to secure results like this. We can achieve them now,

07:32because we have taken the time and the care to do the real work, the quiet, serious diplomacy,

07:40to build proper relationships which multiply our strength and the opportunities that we enjoy.

07:47So, Emmanuel, thank you so much for being here. We represent two fiercely proud and independent nations.

07:55But by working together, we are delivering for our people. And we're a force for good

08:00in a dangerous world. Thank you, Emmanuel. And over to you.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended