Emmanuel Macron said British people had been “sold a lie” as he blamed Brexit for the Channel migrant crisis. Mr Macron spoke out as he and Sir Keir Starmer unveiled the ‘one in, one out’ deal aimed at returning Channel migrants to France.

Amid continuing tensions among the European powers over how to respond to US President Donald Trump’s zig-zagging policy towards NATO and the Ukraine war, the French president and British prime minister made their latest effort to present an Anglo-French axis.

After Mr Macron says small boat crossings have got worse since Brexit because the UK has no migratory agreement with the EU, the Reform UK leader accuses Mr Macron of "arrogance" - and says the UK was struggling with illegal migration even when it was a member of the EU.

The home secretary was asked whether she agreed with the French president, after he said voters were ‘sold a lie’ on Brexit

King Charles III will highlight the crucial bonds between the United Kingdom and France in the face of a “multitude of complex threats” as he welcomes President Emmanuel Macron for the first state visit by a European leader since Brexit.

President Emmanuel Macron has called for Britain and France to move on from Brexit and work “side by side” on issues including migration and defence, declaring “let’s not allow the Channel to grow wider”.

Emmanuel Macron launched a furious attack on Brexit during a joint press conference with Sir Keir Starmer. The French president blamed the UK's exit from the EU for the Channel crisis as the Prime Minister unveiled a new one-in, one-out migrant returns deal.

The “one-in, one-out” agreement will see some of those who arrive in the UK illegally via the Channel sent straight back for the first time since Brexit, with Britain taking an equivalent number of migrants from France in return.

President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Britain, which began Tuesday, is heavy on pageantry. But both he and Prime Minister Keir Starmer hope for practical results.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has refused to say how many migrants would be returned to France under a deal announced last night. Ms Cooper said the figures had not been “fixed” and she would “provide updates as we go” after Sir Keir Starmer hailed the agreement as “ groundbreaking ”.