Macron to Visit UK as Starmer Pushes EU Reset Agenda
French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in the United Kingdom on Tuesday for a landmark three-day state visit, signalling a thaw in post-Brexit relations and a strategic realignment between Paris and London. The visit comes at the invitation of King Charles III and marks the first by a European Union head of state to Britain since the UK’s 2016 Brexit referendum.
Macron, accompanied by First Lady Brigitte Macron, will address the British Parliament on the first day of his visit—following in the footsteps of former French leaders Charles de Gaulle and François Mitterrand. Buckingham Palace confirmed that a formal state banquet will be hosted at Windsor Castle, where the French President will also pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II at her tomb in St George’s Chapel.
Defence, Ukraine, and a New Franco-British Bond
At the core of Macron’s visit is the 37th Franco-British Summit, which he will co-chair alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday. The summit is expected to produce a series of defence cooperation agreements, shaped by the ongoing war in Ukraine and what both sides describe as a “profoundly changed strategic reality.” Discussions will include the idea of a post-ceasefire “reassurance force” in Ukraine and mechanisms to intensify pressure on Russia for an unconditional halt to hostilities.
Macron and Starmer will also lead multilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The summit comes in the wake of the United States pausing key arms shipments to Kyiv, and follows Russia’s largest drone and missile assault on Ukraine to date.
Migration Crisis and Channel Crossings
The leaders will also tackle the growing concern over illegal migration across the English Channel—an issue that has stirred intense political debate in Britain. As small boat arrivals continue to escalate, Prime Minister Starmer faces increasing domestic pressure to produce results. The UK has called on France to intensify its efforts to stop boats from launching, and footage released last week showing French police intercepting a migrant vessel was welcomed by British authorities.
France, however, has expressed caution over proposals to intercept boats in shallow coastal waters due to safety and legal concerns, suggesting further negotiations on joint maritime protocols may be required.
A Post-Brexit Reset
This visit is widely seen as a diplomatic reset under Starmer’s newly elected centre-left Labour government. In stark contrast to the frosty ties under the previous Conservative leadership, Macron’s state visit highlights a warming of bilateral relations and shared interest in steering Europe through geopolitical instability.
The Élysée Palace underlined the significance of this being the first EU state visit to the UK since Brexit—and notably, the first under a British prime minister who has openly advocated for a “reset” in UK-EU relations.
Macron’s trip reciprocates King Charles’s 2023 state visit to France, which was hailed as a diplomatic success. The last French presidential visit to the UK occurred in 2008, led by Nicolas Sarkozy.
