UK hails 'essential' French alliance
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acclaimed Britain's "essential" alliance with France ahead of a bridge-building summit in Paris on Friday, aimed at overcoming years of Brexit tension. Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to adopt a new pact on cross-Channel illegal migration, as well as to vow more support for Ukraine and security in the Asia-Pacific region, Downing Street said. They will meet at the Elysee presidential palace for the first UK-French summit in five years, after Sunak became prime minister in October, following the stormy tenures of Liz Truss and Boris Johnson. Macron's antipathy to the Brexit figurehead Johnson was barely concealed, while Truss said she did not know whether the French leader was a "friend or foe" during her campaign to become prime minister. But both sides now see an opportunity to reset the "Entente Cordiale" between Western Europe's two nuclear powers. "Our deep history, our proximity and our shared global outlook mean that a firm partnership between the UK and France is not just valuable, it is essential," Sunak said in a statement late on Thursday. He confirmed that the European Political Community – a Macron initiative formed after Russia attacked Ukraine a year ago – will be hosted by Britain following an October summit in Spain. Britain and France are working jointly to deter "the scourge of illegal migration", Sunak also said. "Beyond that, the UK and France also have a privileged role as defenders of European and global security," he added. "As we face new and unprecedented threats, it is vital that we fortify the structures of our alliance so we are ready to take on the challenges of the future." Sunak is under fierce pressure to thwart thousands of asylum seekers crossing the Channel, and this week unveiled legislation that critics said would make Britain an international outlaw on refugee rights. Britain has been paying France to help patrol the Channel border, and a summit pact will focus on "increasing the resources deployed to manage this common border, with multi-year financing", an aide to Macron said. (AFP)