Macron 'will REFUSE to take back migrants who land in Britain on small boats' trends now

Emmanuel Macron is expected to refuse Rishi Sunak's demands that Britain be allowed to return migrants who cross the Channel in small boats back to France at today's summit in Paris.

Britain hopes to secure his active support at the summit for a long-term deal, similar to the EU's existing 'Dublin' rules, to return illegal immigrants who cross the English Channel. 

But European diplomats said the request would be rejected at a time when France is accusing other member states, such as neighbouring Italy, of failing to take back migrants. 

President Macron has already made clear that France would not be prepared to agree a bilateral treaty with the UK on the return of cross-Channel migrants, saying that any agreement would have to be EU-wide. 

Yesterday, interior ministers from France, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands clashed with Italy, Greece and Spain over EU rules requiring them to take back migrants who entered the bloc when they arrived in their territories. 

One diplomat told The Times: 'Why would Macron take back Brexit Britain's returns, or ask others to do so, when other EU members, like Italy, are not following European rules? It will not happen. It is a pipe dream.'

It comes after Priti Patel has urged Rishi Sunak to use a summit with Emmanuel Macron today to push for a deal to let Britain return Channel migrants to EU countries.

The former home secretary said this was crucial to help end the small boats crisis as well as clear a huge backlog of asylum cases.

She urged the Prime Minister to capitalise on the goodwill created through a post-Brexit trade deal for Northern Ireland to convince Mr Macron to broker a bloc-wide migrant returns agreement. 

Before Brexit, Britain could send asylum seekers back to countries such as Greece and Italy without considering their case if they lodged a claim there when arriving in the EU.

But UK ministers have not negotiated a replacement for the scheme, known as the Dublin III Regulation.