19 September 2023 , 13:52
586
0
Keir Starmer sought to boost UK-French relations and present himself as a PM-in-waiting in his first meeting with President Emmanuel Macron.
During a meeting just short of an hour the pair exchanged gifts at the Elysee Palace in Paris, with the Labour leader hailing talks as "positive" and "very political". He presented the French leader with an Arsenal football shirt with "Macron" on the back and the number "25" - for the 25th President of the French Republic. Mr Macron also gave the Labour leader a pair of cufflinks.
Mr Starmer said after the meeting: "It was my first opportunity to say how much I value the relationship between our two countries, particularly when it comes to prosperity and security and how if we are privileged enough to be elected into power I intend to build on that relationship and make it even stronger than it is today."
The Arsenal shirt presented to the French leader (Laurent Blevennec / Présidence de la République)He added the pair discussed "ideas of how we'd improve the relationship between our two countries". Mr Starmer swerved a question over whether the French President was "hoping" for a Labour government, but said: "This was the first meeting that we've had.
"It's very important we get to know each other and have that initial exchange of views and it was constructive and positive. We covered a lot of ground and it went well". It comes after years of fraught relations between the two countries over Brexit, Channel crossings, and insults from former Tory leaders. In 2021 it was reported ex-PM Boris Johnson described Mr Macron as a "clown" in a private conversation while his successor in No10 Liz Truss said the "jury was out" on whether the French leader was a "friend or foe".
Sunak branded 'pathetic' for attempt to pin blame on Labour for mass strikes
Ahead of the trip, the Labour leader, who appeared alongside Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, also said if his party wins power he would attempt to boost the economy by trying to get a "much better deal" Brexit pact with the EU than the one negotiated by Mr Johnson.
The trip was also part of a flurry of overseas engagements before party conference season as he seeks to raise its profile on the global stage ahead of a likely general election next year. Last week Mr Starmer met centre-left leaders in Montreal, Canada, including the country's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. That visit followed a trip to The Hague to hold talks with Europol officials on the shared challenge of people-smuggling gangs profiting from small boat crossings in the Channel.
On Tuesday President Macron will also roll out the red carpet for King Charles and Queen Camilla's three-day visit.
* Follow Mirror Politics on , , and