French President Emmanuel Macron will meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tomorrow on the sidelines of the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt for their first face-to-face meeting since the new British Prime Minister took office, the Elysee Palace announced today.

At the end of October, Macron had a telephone conversation with the leader of the conservatives.

At the time, the head of the British government “emphasized the importance for both countries to make the English Channel completely inaccessible to human traffickers,” according to the British side.

In an article published today in the Mail on Sunday, UK Home Secretary Swella Braverman says she is working with her French counterpart Gérald Darmanin “to strengthen partnerships and make better use of British surveillance technology.”

The same newspaper reports that Britain hopes to sign an agreement with France “in the coming weeks” on this issue.

Nearly 40,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since the start of the year, already well above the 2021 record.

After a period of tension between London and Paris, Rishi Sunak’s government appears to have adopted a more conciliatory tone towards France.

The head of the British government stressed during a telephone conversation with Emmanuel Macron “the importance of relations between the United Kingdom and France, a neighboring country and an ally” and said that he was “looking forward” to the bilateral summit next year, according to his representative.

For his part, the French president has indicated that he is ready to “deepen bilateral relations” in “the areas of defense, strategic issues and energy,” as announced by the Elysee Palace.

Source: APE-MPE, AFP.