Emmanuel Macron said British people had been “sold a lie” as he blamed Brexit for the Channel migrant crisis. Mr Macron spoke out as he and Sir Keir Starmer unveiled the ‘one in, one out’ deal aimed at returning Channel migrants to France.

Amid continuing tensions among the European powers over how to respond to US President Donald Trump’s zig-zagging policy towards NATO and the Ukraine war, the French president and British prime minister made their latest effort to present an Anglo-French axis.

Yvette Cooper has refused to say whether she agreed with Emmanuel Macron ’s claim that Brexit had made tackling illegal immigration harder. It comes after the French president said voters were “sold a lie” on Brexit when they were told it would “make it possible to fight more effectively against illegal immigration ”.

King Charles III will highlight the crucial bonds between the United Kingdom and France in the face of a “multitude of complex threats” as he welcomes President Emmanuel Macron for the first state visit by a European leader since Brexit.

President Emmanuel Macron has called for Britain and France to move on from Brexit and work “side by side” on issues including migration and defence, declaring “let’s not allow the Channel to grow wider”.

President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Britain, which began Tuesday, is heavy on pageantry. But both he and Prime Minister Keir Starmer hope for practical results.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced tougher migration controls on Thursday, ending a state visit with deals on defence, nuclear cooperation and plans to support Ukraine in case of a ceasefire.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has refused to say how many migrants would be returned to France under a deal announced last night. Ms Cooper said the figures had not been “fixed” and she would “provide updates as we go” after Sir Keir Starmer hailed the agreement as “ groundbreaking ”.