Emmanuel Macron state visit branded an 'utter humiliation' for Keir Starmer amid migrant crisis: 'Spineless!'

During his visit, Macron delivered a speech on the "irregular migration" crisis in the Channel, declaring a "joint responsibility" in bringing the numbers down.

Delivering his verdict on Macron's three-day visit to Britain, Stafford claimed that hosting the French leader on "taxpayer money" is "rubbing salt in the wound".

Stafford said: "We are far too soft touch when it comes to so many things, but let's be honest, this state visit is an utter humiliation for Britain and utter humiliation for the Prime Minister.

"We're paying hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds each year for the French Government to stop the small boats, and they do nothing.

"So to have Macron coming over here at the taxpayers cost to then basically rub salt in the wounds, it's frankly humiliating and embarrassing."

Hitting out at the French authorities and their lack of intervention in Channel crossings, Stafford stated: "We saw just before the state visit, one French police officer slashing the small boat to show us that actually, the French can do it if they want.

"They have the law, they have the power, they have the manpower to do it, but they're choosing not to do it, and we're spending hundreds of millions of pounds on it."

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Suggesting what Starmer should have done for Macron instead, Stafford claimed that he should have avoided the royal treatment for the French President all together.

Stafford told GB News: "What we should have done instead is actually said to Macron, you can't have this state visit.

"You can't come sit in your gilded carriage with the King until you actually do what you're paid to do, which is stop the small boats and take responsibility."

Pressed by host Bev Turner on the Conservative record for tackling the migrant crisis, Stafford responded: "Don't get me wrong, the small boat numbers are way too high, but in the last year of Tory Government, they were radically coming down.

"But I do not think, when the numbers of small boat crossings are going up over 50 per cent up this year, that we should have rolled out the red carpet to Macron."

Noting the significant cost of a state visit for a world leader, Stafford stated that the UK Government is "already spending hundreds of millions" of pounds on France.

Stafford explained: "Don't get me wrong, I think if it was a normal situation, I think these state visits are worthwhile to have better trade links, better relationships.

"But if we're already spending hundreds of millions of pounds each year on the French authorities to try and stop the small boat crossings, and they're not doing it, why are we spending even more money?"

He concluded: "To me, this is throwing good money after bad, and this is just embarrassing. What we should be saying is actually, you do not get the benefits, the enjoyment of the state visit unless you actually do what you're paid to do.

"And that is the concern, we're just wasting more and more money and not getting any results."