British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on the need for new solutions to the problem of illegal migration on Wednesday, Starmer’s office said, laying the groundwork for a bilateral summit on Thursday.

The two met for lunch during what is the first state visit by a European leader since Britain’s exit from the European Union in 2020, with both sides talking up the need to deliver concrete progress to stop migrants travelling to England from France.

“The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions,” a summary of the meeting sent out by Starmer’s office said.

“The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs.”

Starmer is seeking to agree to a returns deal for asylum seekers ahead of Thursday’s summit.

Such an agreement would help the British leader meet a pledge to stop the flow of tens of thousands of people into Britain from across the Channel.

France has rejected a returns deal for asylum seekers in the past, saying Britain should negotiate with the EU as a whole.

Under Starmer’s plan, Britain would deport one asylum seeker to France in exchange for another with a legitimate case.

But in a speech on Tuesday, Macron spoke of the need to address “migration pull factors”, suggesting any deal would require Starmer to make it harder for migrants who do not have legal status to live and work in Britain.

The two countries have also been working to create a military force to back Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and cooperation on trade and defence were themes in Macron’s speech on Tuesday.