00:00 And for more, we can cross to London.
00:04 And John Curtis, professor at the University of Strasse-Kaide, thank you for being with
00:09 us here on France 24.
00:12 Let me begin by a personal question.
00:15 Are you confounded by all the attention the French are pouring on the king?
00:21 No, to be honest.
00:25 It's often the case, it's the same as true in the United States.
00:29 The countries that regard themselves fairly firmly as being republics for a variety of
00:34 historical reasons still have a degree of admiration for the United Kingdom monarchy.
00:42 And of course, the United Kingdom is undoubtedly uses and is currently using the monarchy as
00:48 a form of soft diplomatic power.
00:51 I think it's been interesting that the initial two state visits done by King Charles and
00:57 Queen Camilla, one of course was to Germany earlier this year, now to France, and that
01:03 indeed the monarchy has been used as it were to warm stroke, improve relationships between
01:09 two crucial governments in Europe, as opposed to sending the monarchy to the English-speaking
01:14 Commonwealth diaspora, which of course is where historically a lot of the links have
01:18 been and are often links that some people in the United Kingdom look to as an alternative
01:23 to closer links to Europe.
01:24 So it's part of the choreography we've seen in recent months under Rishi Sunak's premiership,
01:30 whereby at least some thawing of relationships between the United Kingdom and some of its
01:35 European neighbors.
01:36 And there's been a lot of combing through the history books on this side of the channel,
01:40 what with a century ago when the Entente Cordiale was founded, King Edward, who was instrumental
01:45 actually much more than was thought at the time in shoring up the alliance ahead of World
01:51 War I. Is Charles just a symbol or does he have a role?
01:58 Well, the answer to you is that he has a role as a symbol.
02:05 The fact that Buckingham Palace will have not embarked on this visit without the UK
02:12 government at least acquiescing, and the fact that he's decided to go there is an indication
02:18 that between them, the palace and the UK government think that this is a worthwhile expenditure
02:24 of UK time.
02:26 Of course, the crucial thing is what lies behind that.
02:28 Now, we've seen the UK government already negotiate a Northern Ireland protocol with
02:35 the European Union.
02:37 We've seen now a final agreement on scientific funding.
02:42 And the United Kingdom is very, very keen to try to come to some agreement, a stronger
02:47 agreement with France about the migrants that come across the English Channel.
02:51 And that, of course, is also one of the issues that Keir Starmer, who's also been a visitor
02:55 to Paris this week, has been raising, suggesting that indeed perhaps the United Kingdom should
03:01 be willing to accept to some degree at least perhaps some migrants from across the whole
03:07 of the EU in return for the European Union accepting that people who cross the UK, the
03:16 English Channel as asylum seekers, should be capable of being sent back.
03:20 It's been quite the week for the leader of the opposition.
03:23 First an interview with the Financial Times where he hints at a rewriting of the treaty
03:29 post-Brexit with the European Union.
03:31 And then this Tuesday visit to Paris.
03:34 What should we make of the fact that Keir Starmer has been into town, but not Ritchie
03:38 Sunak, instead represented by his foreign secretary?
03:42 Well, of course, Ritchie Sunak, Keir Starmer is in town because this, together with a trip
03:50 to Montreal, to with other international leaders, is giving Keir Starmer the chance to say,
03:55 look, I'm not just leader of the opposition.
03:57 I'm a prospective UK prime minister.
04:00 And I wish to demonstrate both at home and abroad that indeed people now take me seriously.
04:04 But he was welcome for 45 minutes.
04:06 He was welcome for 45 minutes to the Elysee Palace, a closed door meeting.
04:11 Sure, absolutely.
04:12 And that was intriguing.
04:13 And perhaps it's an indication that the French government is not unaware that the Labour
04:21 Party is currently about 18 points ahead of the Conservatives in the opinion polls.
04:25 And at the moment, odds on favourites to be forming the next UK government after election,
04:31 which has to take place by the end of next year.
04:33 But of course, what we're also interested in is does – hitherto the Labour Party has
04:37 been very reluctant to talk about Brexit and very firmly not wanted to give any suggestion
04:42 that it might want to soften it, let alone possibly rejoin the European Union.
04:47 Well, it's definitely doesn't want to rejoin the European Union.
04:50 But it is now beginning to talk rather more openly about softening.
04:55 And of course, that's not unrelated to the fact that attitudes towards Brexit in the
04:59 United Kingdom are not what they were at the time of the general election in 2019, let
05:05 alone the referendum in 2016.
05:07 You now on average have polls that suggest that 58% of people would vote to rejoin the
05:13 European Union.
05:14 And that has meant that the Labour Party now, despite its silence on Brexit, still finds
05:21 itself being supported by a body of voters who are overwhelmingly in favour of being
05:28 inside the European Union.
05:29 And I think now Labour perhaps are beginning to realise that they have rather more freedom
05:34 of move on the Brexit issue than they thought two years ago.
05:37 Two years ago, they thought they had to appeal to leave voters to have any chance of winning
05:42 the next election.
05:43 That no longer necessarily seems to be a requirement.
05:47 They are still basically heavily reliant on remain voters, people who want to rejoin the
05:52 European Union as they were in 2019.
05:55 It's just that they're now an awful lot more popular.
05:57 All right.
05:58 The times, they are changing.
06:00 And Britain's Francophile King is here as part of that warming of relations.
06:05 John Curtis, many thanks for joining us live from London.
06:10 Stay with us.
06:11 Much more to come.
06:12 More news plus the day's business and sports.
06:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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