Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron vow to co-operate on Channel crossings - No 10

The UK and France have pledged to boost co-operation to tackle migrant crossings in the English Channel, Downing Street has said.

Rishi Sunak held his first call, since becoming prime minister, with President Emmanuel Macron on Friday.

No 10 said the two men expressed a commitment to "deepening" their work to deter the "deadly journeys."

A statement from the Elysée Palace after the call made no specific mention of migrant boats.

There have already been promises to deepen co-operation earlier in October, after then-Prime Minister Liz Truss met with Mr Macron in Prague earlier this month.

The pair pledged an "ambitious package of measures" to be announced this autumn.

Downing Street has refused to give details on any future plans or when an announcement will be made.

But Mr Sunak is said to have "stressed the importance for both nations to make the Channel route completely unviable for people traffickers".

In 2021, the UK agreed to pay France £54m to boost patrols along France's northern coast.

A report, in The Times, says Mr Sunak wants to close a new deal with France, including targets for how many boats are stopped.

It has been claimed that the French "pulled the plug" on a draft agreement back in the summer, after Liz Truss said the "jury's out" on whether Emmanuel Macron was a friend or foe.

The Elysée has previously declined to comment while Ms Truss and Mr Macron appeared to patch things up after their October meeting in Prague.

The new prime minister chose on Friday to strike a markedly warm tone towards the French president.

Following their phone call, No 10 emphasized areas of co-operation - including climate change, defence, the war in Ukraine and energy.

According to Downing Street, Mr Sunak "stressed the importance he places on the UK's relationship with France - our neighbour and ally".

The Elysée said Mr Macron spoke of his willingness to deepen ties in defence and energy.

The UK and France have clashed in recent years over post-Brexit fishing rights, the AUKUS security pact and migration.

In November 2021, 27 people died in the worst-recorded migrant tragedy in the Channel.

But the UK was disinvited from a ministerial meeting on the issue after Mr Macron accused Boris Johnson - prime minister at the time - of not being serious.

There is speculation that Mr Sunak may forge a more positive relationship with the French president than his two predecessors.

They are close in age, often seen as "slick" in appearance and worked in banking before turning to politics.

"I think in terms of style, they're quite compatible," says Lord Ricketts, who previously served as the UK's ambassador to France.

However the cross-bench peer notes that in substance, they're a long way apart on certain issues.

Mr Sunak was a Brexit supporter in 2016 while Emmanuel Macron is passionately pro-European.

The new prime minister has also signalled he intends to push ahead with certain policies, strongly disliked by the Elysée.

They include sending asylum seekers to Rwanda and pursuing legislation that could allow ministers to override parts of the post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.

"But at least there'll be a more serious dialogue than there ever was under Boris Johnson, provided Rishi Sunak can stay away from using France as political football," says Lord Ricketts.

In August, before leaving Downing Street, Boris Johnson said Emmanuel Macron was a "très bon buddy" and described the UK-France relationship as one of "huge importance."

A France-UK summit will go ahead next year.