The date for the Prime Minister’s keenly awaited summit with French President Macron has been announced. The Anglo-French Summit has been set for 10 March 2023. Only weeks away, the summit has the potential to provide real solutions to the small boats crossings.
I had been pressing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to set the date for the summit quickly and had raised the matter in Parliament in December. I have long said that a deal with France was the best way to stop the dangerous crossings for good if joint operational patrols and a joint Channel security zone can be agreed.
The summit announcement comes swiftly on the heels of the Prime Minister declaring ‘stopping the small boats’ as one of his five national pledges.
It is a big step forward that a date for the small boats summit has now been set. I’m delighted that the Prime Minister has responded to my calls to make stopping the small boats his priority, and that the summit with President Macron will now take place within weeks.
The small boats crisis costs lives, billions of pounds of taxpayers money and undermines our border security. It’s vital that it is brought to an end. I am hopeful that progress can be made at the upcoming summit.