Divisions amongst the bloc’s member states mean the Labour leader’s proposals will firmly remain on its backburner
While Sir Keir Starmer will get a sympathetic ear from Emmanuel Macron as he lays out his plans for a closer relationship with the EU, he shouldn’t be expecting the same warmth from Brussels.
Mr Macron is just one of the EU’s 27 heads of state or government, which are battling between themselves over migration.
Such divisions, brutally exposed amid the horror at overwhelmed Lampedusa, mean Sir Keir’s plans for a migrant return deal with the EU will remain firmly on Brussels’ backburner.
The European Commission has no plans for a deal allowing small boat migrants to be sent back to the bloc, in the short to medium term.