Emmanuel Macron arrived at 10 Downing Street for talks with Andy Burnham, who used the meeting to press the French president for greater action against Channel migrant crossings. The visit, marked by a red carpet welcome for Macron and his wife Brigitte, comes as Burnham seeks to build on this summer's fall in crossing numbers and explore closer UK-EU ties ahead of an autumn summit.

The two leaders are set to announce a British-funded French police "surge team" to combat the rise of "mega-dinghies" capable of carrying up to 230 migrants, though government sources concede this amounts to just 45 additional officers. Burnham is also expected to push for an extension of the "one in, one out" returns deal, which has so far removed fewer than 30 illegal migrants a week. Conservatives dismissed the plans as a "joke", attributing the recent drop in crossings to poor weather rather than policy.