UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham was due to host French President Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street on Thursday 3 September 2026 to discuss shared challenges including small boat crossings, European defence and economic cooperation, according to a government press release published on 2 September 2026. The release said the UK recorded its lowest number of small boat arrivals since 2020 that summer.

The release said a surge team of 45 officers was being deployed in the coming weeks to western French beaches to address launches further along the coast and "mega dinghy" launches, nearly tripling French resources in the area. It said a specialist French intelligence and judicial unit had expanded from 18 to 30 officers, and a new unit of 75 officers was active in northern France, bringing the total to nearly 1,050. It also cited the earlier deployment of a 50-officer public order unit.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was quoted as saying more than 48,000 crossing attempts had been prevented. The leaders were also expected to discuss support for Ukraine and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and Burnham was expected to argue that cooperation with Europe is key to boosting the British economy.