UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will host French President Emmanuel Macron at Downing Street next week, marking another step in London’s intensified diplomatic efforts with key allies.
Macron will attend the official opening of the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum, where the 900-year-old artifact is on display as part of a loan as a gesture of friendship between the two countries, according to two people familiar with the plans. He is also expected to participate in a bilateral meeting with the British prime minister. This will be the first visit by an EU leader to the UK since Burnham took office, coinciding with the return of the British Parliament after the summer recess. A UK government official, who asked not to be named as they were not authorized to speak publicly, said Burnham is looking forward to meeting Macron at Downing Street. The Elysee Palace declined to confirm the trip.
Diplomatic activity and domestic priorities
This visit follows Burnham’s recent trip to Kyiv for Ukraine’s Independence Day, during which he met with Volodymyr Zelensky and pledged to strengthen support for Ukraine by transferring blueprints for Storm Shadow long-range missiles. This will allow Ukraine to manufacture components for this weapon on its own territory. The new British prime minister has largely focused on domestic issues such as the cost of living and prison overcrowding early in his premiership, but his recent diplomatic activity indicates a determination to demonstrate continued solidarity with key UK allies.
During one of his first conversations with international colleagues, Burnham told Macron that he “looks forward to developing strong relations between the UK and France to deliver for people on both sides of the Channel.” Continuing work on the “reset” of relations between London and Brussels, initiated during Keir Starmer’s tenure, is likely to be one of the main items on their agenda, along with tackling illegal migration.
Andy Burnham told António Costa, head of the European Council, that the UK should be “bolder” in its approach to the EU when they met on the way to Kyiv earlier this week. At the same time, Burnham gave no indication that he would deviate from the “red lines” set out in the last Labour Party manifesto.
The UK and the EU are set to hold a summit in October after a meeting originally scheduled for July was postponed due to Starmer’s resignation. Both sides hope to reach an agreement on the contentious issue of tuition fees during the October meeting, as well as finalize a deal on agri-food products to facilitate trade, agree on an emissions trading system, and introduce a youth mobility program that will make it easier for young people to live abroad.
Dan Bloom and Clea Kolkatt contributed to this report.
Source: Politico
