UK-France summit, as it happened | Sunak-Macron sign new deal to deter illegal immigration

Britain and France agreed a new deal to prevent illegal cross-English Channel migration after talks between President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Paris towards overcoming post-Brexit tensions.

London will step up funding to France over the next three years to total 541 million euros ($575 million), allowing the deployment of "hundreds" of extra French law enforcement officers along the Channel coast to stop the illegal migration, the British government said in a statement.

"I believe today's meeting does mark a new beginning, an entente renewed," Rishi Sunak said.

"If we are honest, the relationship between our two countries has had its challenges in recent years," he added.

The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, while reasserting London's support to Kyiv during the ongoing Russian offensive in Ukraine, said that both UK and France want Ukraine to win the war.

"We want Ukraine to win this war, we are united in this, the long-range missiles, training of Ukrainian marines is a step towards it," Sunak said in a joint Press Conference. 

"We want to put Ukraine in a strong position and that is what our discussions are going to be in coming weeks," he added. 

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed "new start" in Franco-British relations during a joint press conference that he addressed along with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. 

"On the short term we have to fix the consequences of Brexit, we have to deal with the consequences of this war," Macron said while referring to the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

In an effort to unveil a plan for increased allied activity in the Indo-Pacific, 10, Downing Street, said that a permanent European maritime presence in the Indo-Pacific is necessary to be "active participants in the region". 

"We are two European nations that do genuinely project force and influence and are engaged around the world," Sunak said.

"So it’s right that we’re collaborating closely and this today, hopefully (what) we will agree later, will be a more significant step forward than we’ve had in the past in that particular region," he added.

Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron reportedly spoke for an hour in Paris on Friday.

A spokesperson for 10, Downing Street, said: "The Prime Minister and President Macron spoke for more than an hour one to one. They were joined at the end by their respective chiefs of staff for a brief period."

"It was a warm and productive meeting... They both agreed on the need for further collaboration on a range of issues, including on defence, energy security and illegal migration."

French President Emmanuel Macron said that the "destinies of the United Kingdom and France are linked". He cited common interests and commitments such as Climate Change, "support for Ukraine", and cooperation in the matters of security and energy.

"We are moving forward together," he said. 

The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, while speaking to the journalists in France, said that London is ready to "pull all the leavers" at its disposal to tap the flow of migrants across the English channel. 

"The joint work (by the French and British authorities) has led to something like a few hundred different arrests, disrupted something like 50 different organised crime gangs," Sunak said, while referring to the joint patrols by the two countries along the English channel. 

"That’s the outcome of all that joint work, so those are sensible investments for the UK."

"I think everyone knows that we are spending £5.5 million a day plus on hotels," Sunak said while referring to the lodging costs for migrants found coming into the United Kingdom via shady means.

"We would rather not do that, and the best way to stop that is to stop people coming in the first place," he said.

This is the first UK-French summit in five years, after Sunak became prime minister in October, following the chaotic prime ministerial tenures of Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.

Macron in past asserted the lack of warmth with the then occupants of 10, Downing Street, with the French antipathy to Brexit.

The two leaders look to reset the ties with a focus to bring consensus on common interests. 

"Our deep history, our proximity and our shared global outlook mean that a firm partnership between the UK and France is not just valuable, it is essential," Rishi Sunak said in a statement late Thursday.

He confirmed that the European Political Community, a France-led initiative formed after Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago -- will be hosted by Britain following an October summit in Spain.

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are meeting Friday in Paris for a summit aimed at mending relations following post-Brexit tensions, as well as improving military and business ties and toughening efforts against Channel migrant crossings.