French President Emmanuel Macron will be the first EU leader to meet new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a two-day visit to the UK that began Wednesday. Macron will first inaugurate a historic exhibition of the 950-year-old Bayeux Tapestry, on loan to the British Museum in London.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday begins a two-day visit to Britain, inaugurating a landmark exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry and becoming the first EU leader to meet new Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Downing Street.
Macron's visit to London, which includes bilateral talks with Burnham on Thursday, will be rich with symbolism as the French president attends the official opening of the Bayeux showcase the previous day.
The French president has been instrumental over recent years in championing the daring gambit to loan the 950-year-old tapestry to the British Museum, which is putting it on display until next July.
Embroidered in wool thread, the tapestry depicts how William the Conqueror defeated England's King Harold in 1066, the last successful invasion and conquest of England by a foreign army.
William's victory ended Anglo-Saxon rule, and led to the Normans transforming England's government, land ownership, military system and society, while Norman French strongly influenced the English language.
On the diplomatic side, Burnham will be looking for concrete outcomes from his Macron talks as he eyes closer post-Brexit cooperation with the European Union.
The British leader – who replaced predecessor Keir Starmer in July – has vowed to boost sluggish UK growth and keep pushing France for help stopping migrants crossing the Channel to Britain aboard small boats.
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Starmer was ousted by his ruling centre-left Labour Party, despite winning a thumping parliamentary majority in 2024, after his tenure was beset by missteps, scandals and policy U-turns.
Burnham has largely focused on domestic policy since taking over, but has also appeared eager to project his standing on the international stage, in particular maintaining London's support for Ukraine following Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion.
Starmer had enjoyed some success in this area, working closely with Macron and winning admiration from allies.
Anand Menon, professor of European politics and foreign affairs at Kings College London, warned there was a danger the visit would be "style without substance" even though Britain and France can appear "best buddies" on non-EU business like Ukraine.
"But on the substantive stuff, and particularly the stuff that will have any kind of economic implications for us in terms of growth, it's still very, very tricky indeed," he told AFP.
Macron built with Starmer the best relationship with any of the five UK premiers he has seen prior to Burnham during almost a decade in office.
The pair adopted lead roles in a so-called Coalition of the Willing of nations supporting Ukraine.
"The president had developed with prime minister Starmer a very friendly and highly effective relationship, particularly on Ukraine and the Middle East," a French presidential official said, asking not to be named.
Coordination with Burnham was expected to be "just as important and regular", added the official.
For Macron, who will arrive from a trip to the Netherlands, the visit will also be significant as he looks during the final half year of his term in office.
The French leader remains eager to press his vision of European sovereignty not dependent on the United States – where the United Kingdom is seen as having a crucial role to play even after Brexit.
Starmer was also part of a tight E3 trio with Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Burnham will likely want to maintain.
However, he will be aware a new French president looms on the horizon in less than a year, while Germany's leader is under immense pressure at home due to the rise of the far right.
Burnham has so far only welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Downing Street since becoming prime minister and visited Kyiv on his first overseas trip.
On the train to Ukraine, Burnham met EU Council President Antonio Costa, telling him "the UK had to be bolder in terms of getting closer to the bloc", according to Downing Street.
The 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry, which famously depicts the conquest of England by William the Conqueror of Normandy, arrived in London in July for the sell-out exhibition, after leaving France for the first time in more than nine centuries.
Experts feared it could be damaged but the French culture ministry insisted it had arrived in good condition.
Macron is "very eager" to see the tapestry displayed "in optimal conditions", laid out flat at full length on a table, the French presidential official said. At its home in Bayeux in Normandy the work has been displayed on a wall.
He is also expected to meet King Charles III, with whom Macron also has a strong personal relationship.
"The devil will be in the detail," Menon summarised on the talks with Burnham.
"You can have as much of a bromance as you want, but we need progress on the EU negotiations, and I suspect we won't get any movement on that."
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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