Macron, Starmer pledge deeper ties between France and Britain

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron pledged on Thursday to deepen ties with Britain over defence, security, migration and energy after a meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Paris.

Starmer and Macron "agreed on the importance of further strengthening and broadening the close relationship between the UK and France in the coming months," a British government spokesperson said, and to work closer together to dismantle migrant smuggling routes and increase intelligence-sharing.

Starmer's arrival in Paris, where he attended the Paralympics opening ceremony on Wednesday, was preceded by a visit to Germany where he and Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed to work on a treaty covering issues ranging from defence to trade.

His trip to the EU's top powers, Germany and France, is part of the pledge he took after winning election on July 4 to improve Britain's relations with its European allies after years of discord over Brexit and to boost its economic growth.

Macron and Starmer also discussed the need to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, reiterating their call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

They also agreed it was essential to keep supporting Ukraine against Russia's invasion to help ensure the defences and security of Kyiv and of the European continent as a whole.

Both leaders had already met on the sidelines of the July NATO summit and the European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace in England, and they spoke by telephone on Aug. 9.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau and Kylie MacLellan; writing by Piotr Lipinski; editing by GV De Clercq and Mark Heinrich)