Key facts
- French President Emmanuel Macron and King Charles III previewed the Bayeux Tapestry in London.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham met with Macron to discuss migration and EU relations.
- Additional resources will be provided to French police to combat small boat crossings.
- Macron called the tapestry loan a symbol of UK-France ties, while Burnham focused on border control.
- The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition is on loan from France for 10 months.
French President Emmanuel Macron and King Charles III previewed the Bayeux Tapestry in London, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham also in attendance. Macron described the loan of the 70-meter-long artwork, which depicts the 1066 Norman conquest of England, as a "powerful symbol" of UK-France ties and "a whole chapter of French, British and European history." King Charles hailed it as a symbol of "entente amicale" between the two nations.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andy Burnham met with Macron at Downing Street, marking Burnham's first meeting with a foreign head of state. The leaders discussed curbing irregular migration and sealing a new deal with the EU. Burnham emphasized the need for UK-France cooperation to combat smuggling gangs and announced additional resources for French police to stop small boat launches from the country's north coast. The number of French officers dedicated to this task will increase to nearly 1,050.
Burnham also planned to discuss renegotiating Britain's treaty with the EU, seeking new agreements to ease trade in electricity and agricultural products. The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, on loan from France for 10 months, is the British Museum's best-selling show to date and was transported in a high-security operation.