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In the years after the Brexit referendum, the deterioration of Anglo-French relations became one measure of the sorry disconnect between a radicalised, reckless Conservative party and any sane notion of the national interest. In 2021, a bellicose Boris Johnson sent Royal Navy frigates to patrol off the coast of Jersey in response to a dispute with Paris over fishing rights. The following year, notoriously, Liz Truss declined to say whether she considered the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to be a friend or foe to Britain. For five years, no Franco-British bilateral summits took place at all.
That, thankfully, was then. France and Britain are close neighbours, nuclear powers and members of the United Nations security council. At a time of acute geopolitical instability, fuelled in part by the return of Donald Trump to the White House, it is overwhelmingly in the interests of both countries, and Europe as a whole, that a fully functioning entente cordiale is restored.
The arrival of Mr Macron in London on Tuesday for a state visit – the first by a French president since 2008 – confirms the successful work done to that end by Sir Keir Starmer over the past year. In relation to strengthening European defence and security, and supporting Ukraine’s ability to continue to resist Vladimir Putin, the two leaders have forged a close working relationship, which this trip will help consolidate. The symbolism of the event – Mr Macron is the first European leader to be so honoured since Brexit – will also do no harm to Sir Keir’s chances of making progress with his somewhat ill-defined aspirations for a “reset” with the EU.
Much of the president’s time, naturally, will be taken up with pomp, circumstance and protocol, including a state dinner at Windsor Castle and a joint address to both Houses of Parliament. A warm welcome can be expected for Mr Macron and his wife, Brigitte, from King Charles, a devout Francophile. But it also seems likely that some meaningful political business will be done.
On Thursday, Sir Keir and Mr Macron will co-host a video conference with European allies to again discuss the creation of a “reassurance force”, which could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. More immediately relevant perhaps, given the stalled status of peace negotiations with Mr Putin, will be a simultaneous focus on how to maintain Ukraine’s fighting capabilities without relying on a reluctant Mr Trump. On the ever-more vexed issue of small boat crossings in the Channel, a potential pilot scheme to return irregular migrants to France in exchange for others with family connections in Britain may be unveiled.
Anti-immigrant sentiment has been, for both leaders, a contributory factor to domestic political woes and falling poll ratings. But on the world stage Sir Keir and Mr Macron have responded impressively, and largely in tandem, to the challenges of a new era in which great power rivalry and strongman politics threaten to undermine liberal values and international law. It will not have been lost on Mr Trump, who will make a second state visit to Britain in the autumn, that Mr Macron has stolen a march on him this time. For a number of reasons, from the need to heal the diplomatic wounds of Brexit to sending a signal of European solidarity and resilience in turbulent times, that is as it should be.
