Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have agreed to a reciprocal migrant returns deal that the British prime minister and French president hope will act as a deterrent to small boat crossings in the English Channel.

Sir Keir Starmer said a deal to send small boats migrants back to France for the first time was a “breakthrough moment” which would “turn the tables” on people smugglers. The Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron – who said Brexit had made it harder to deal with illegal migration – hope the deal will have a deterrent effect beyond the limited numbers involved in the pilot scheme.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, had an awkward moment on Tuesday as they arrived in the UK for a three-day state visit. Cameras captured the First Lady walking past her husband's outstretched hand as she stepped off their plane at Royal Air Force Northolt in London.