PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the need for France and the United Kingdom to address immigration collaboratively, calling it a “burden for our two countries.”

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and the British government.

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📍WHEN & WHERE: Macron addressed the British Parliament on July 8, during the first day of his three-day state visit to the United Kingdom.

💬KEY QUOTE: “France and the UK have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration [sic] with humanity, solidarity, and firmness.” – Emmanuel Macron

🎯IMPACT: Macron’s remarks set the stage for an upcoming summit to foster cooperation and achieve tangible results on immigration challenges after years in which illegal crossings of the English Channel have steadily worsened.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a united effort between France and the United Kingdom to address immigration, admitting it is a “burden for our two countries.” Speaking to the British Parliament on Tuesday, July 8, during the first day of a three-day state visit, Macron said migrants crossing the English Channel illegally in small boats are seeking “hope for a better life,” but added: “Rules must not be flouted.”

Macron said Britain and France need to tackle illegal immigration with “humanity, solidarity, and firmness,” insisting their shared objective “is to have the best ever cooperation between our two countries in order to fix today what is a burden for us both.”

Channel crossings were declared a “major incident” by the British government as long ago as 2018. Still, they have steadily increased from hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands annually regardless, despite escalating multi-million-pound payments to the French authorities to stem the flow.

Nigel Farage, leader of Britain’s Reform Party, was among the first public figures to expose the crisis and highlight incidents in which the French and British authorities were seemingly colluding to help transport boat migrants to England rather than turning them back to France.

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

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