Stronger ties with France would be a step in the right direction - Yorkshire Post Letters

I note that the King is being kept busy as both French president Macron and US president Trump have received invitations to make state visits to the UK over the coming months with some commentators seeing significance in Macron visiting before Trump.

I for one would be delighted if the two leaders could evaluate how a joint UK-EU trade deal with the US might work and perhaps include Canada. What a prize that could be.

Britain and France are getting on well at present and military co-operation between the two nations is strong, as it generally has been for almost two centuries. Last year the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale was celebrated and Sir Keir accompanied Emmanuel Macron at the Armistice ceremony in Paris.

Brexit means Europe is increasingly led by France. French presidents come and go, and it won’t be the centrist Mr Macron in 2027. It may or may not be Sir Keir by 2029. It’s important for ties to be strengthened between our two historic nations at a personal level.

I wonder who’s paying Mr Macron’s £16 Electronic Travel Authorisation that French passport holders require to visit Britain, and which prevents a spontaneous visit to the UK. Britons travelling to Europe will also face this nonsense when the EU introduces its ETIAS scheme later in 2025. All avoidable if Britain were to discuss with our allies how the UK might participate in the Schengen agreement.

In 30 years of teaching French, I was involved in over 20 school visits to France including language exchanges and trips to the world war battlefields. The Conservatives made it virtually impossible for French school groups to come to Britain but now under 18s at registered schools can travel on a group identity document.

It’s time to go further and investigate how complete freedom of movement between the two nations might work so that young people in particular benefit from developing linguistic and social skills as they experience a new culture for an extended period.

How could anyone object to that?