May and Macron strike border deal at summit

SANDHURST: British Prime Minister Theresa May and her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed a new border security deal through which the UK will pay more to France to stop migrants trying to reach British shores.

May also confirmed the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry from France, a historic work depicting the Norman conquest of England which she said would come to Britain in 2022 for the first time in over 900 years.

The two leaders meeting for wide-ranging talks at the Sandhurst military academy near London, agreed that the UK will pay an extra £44.5mil (RM243.8mil) for fencing, CCTV and detection technology in Calais and other Channel ports.

“The further investment we have agreed today will make the UK’s borders even more secure,” May said.

While the two countries cooperate closely in numerous areas, including intelligence and defence, differences over migration have strained ties.

The money will be on top of more than £100mil (RM548mil) already paid by Britain, following a request by Macron to contribute more cash.

The 35th UK-France summit came as Britain tries to strengthen bilateral ties before leaving the European Union in March 2019.

May said she was “honoured” by the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry and Macron said he hoped it would open “a new chapter” for cultural and scientific co-operation.

“We are somehow making a new tapestry together,” Macron said, rejecting any suggestion that it was intended to remind Britain of a victorious France.

The loan has been met with opposition by French experts who have warned about the delicate state of the 70m long embroidery.

The tapestry, which shows how the English King Harold being killed by an arrow in the eye at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, is believed to have been created within years of the battle.