Emmanuel Macron is demanding that Sir Keir Starmer make Britain less appealing to Channel migrants to secure a “one in, one out deal”.

The French president believes the UK bears the blame for record numbers of small boats crossing the Channel and has three key demands to reduce its “pull factors”.

Mr Macron, who arrived in Britain on Tuesday for the first state visit by a European head of state since Brexit, was due to announce the new agreement with the Prime Minister at an Anglo-French summit on Thursday.

A deal with Paris would allow Britain to legally return illegal Channel migrants to France for the first time since Brexit.

But Sir Keir is scrambling to rescue the pact after five EU member states bearing the brunt of European arrivals raised concerns that a deal would see them forced to take more migrants.