Macron says ‘no silver bullet’ to stop small boats as Keir slams ‘criminal empire’ bringing illegal migrants to UK
UNDER-pressure Emmanuel Macron today admitted "there's no silver bullet" to stop masses of dinghies departing Calais.
But as Sir Keir Keir Starmer seeks a fresh migration deal with Paris, the French President insisted he will try to “improve the situation”.
The pair are holding crunch talks today at the European Political Community, taking place in Blenheim Palace.
At the summit Sir Keir will urge 43 leaders to work together and "set a new path" towards solving the illegal migration "crisis".
The PM said: “As we speak, as we gather here, a criminal empire is at work in every country represented here today, profiting off human misery and desperation, prepared to send infants, babies, pregnant mothers, innocent people to their deaths.
“And last week four more souls, and actually last night another one, were lost in the waters of the English Channel, a chilling reminder of the human cost of this vile trade.”
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Issuing an olive branch to his European counterparts, Sir Keir claimed “Britain will be a friend and a partner, ready to work with you".
He added: "Not part of the European Union but very much part of Europe.”
At least 14,759 small boats have crossed the channel this year, a rise of 13,774 on the same time in 2023.
Asked if a deal could be done, Mr Macron said: “This is my point. There is no silver bullet because we do know the situation.
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"We do our best.
“It is obviously always a very delicate humanitarian situation so our willingness is constantly to improve the situation.”
“It is obviously always a very delicate humanitarian situation so our willingness is constantly to improve the situation."
This morning Sir Keir ruled out taking Britain out of the European Court of Human Rights as part of an effort to stop the boats.
He slammed the option, always left open by the Tories, as a "gimmick".
The PM said: "We are here to serve our country in the national interest, in pursuit of solutions that will actually deliver results.
“More than that we will approach this issue with humanity and with a profound respect for international law.
“That is why we scrapped the unworkable Rwanda scheme on day one. And it is why we will never withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.”
At the former home of Winston Churchill, Sir Keir will also meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm Britain's support for Ukraine.
The PM warned that "a new storm is gathering over Europe" as tyrants including Mad Vlad Putin ramp up threats against Western democracies.
Sir Keir told visiting leaders: "This is the birth place of Winston Churchill and we stand for the values that he embodied around the world: liberty and democracy, yes of course, but also defiance and resolve in their defence.
“And today as a new storm gathers over our continent we choose to meet it in that same spirit and we choose to meet it together.”
Zelenskyy and Sir Keir are set to "sign an intergovernmental agreement with the UK on support for the Ukrainian defence and industrial complex, discuss future defence co-operation, and expand our defence capabilities".
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The Ukrainian President said: "Since the first days of the full-scale invasion, the UK has been one step ahead in its determination to support Ukraine.
"This is the kind of resolve we need to stop Russian terror."