Politics

Furious Viewers Call Out Starmer as BBC Breakfast Covers Crunch Talks with Macron

Published on July 13, 2025

Tensions were running high among BBC Breakfast viewers as the show covered one of the biggest stories of the day — Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s upcoming meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, where the small boats crisis and illegal migration are set to take centre stage.

On Wednesday 9 July, presenters Sally Nugent and Ben Thompson were back on the famous red sofa bringing viewers the day’s top headlines. Alongside discussions about the ongoing struggles of Post Office victims and fresh complaints involving Gregg Wallace, it was Starmer’s meeting at Downing Street that really had people talking.

To break it all down, the duo were joined by chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman, who explained that the visit was shifting from ceremonial pageantry to serious political business, reported the Express.

“Today is a turn away from the ceremonial elements of this State visit to the political elements,” he said, noting that the discussions between Starmer and Macron would cover urgent topics like illegal migration and ongoing support for Ukraine.

He also shared that both leaders would be joined by their wives for part of the meeting, hinting at a touch of diplomacy and civility before the more challenging talks began.

But Zeffman made it clear what was at the heart of the agenda: “What is clear is that today and especially tomorrow at what’s being dubbed the Anglo-French summit, you’re going to get a lot of talk, particularly about illegal immigration and about small boat crossings.”

He explained that the UK would be pushing for a “one-in one-out” arrangement with France. Under this proposal, the UK would return migrants who cross the Channel illegally and, in exchange, accept the same number of asylum seekers from France who are more likely to have their applications approved.

The idea may have seemed practical on paper, but online, it lit a fire under viewers who were already frustrated — and many didn’t hold back.

One furious user posted, “@BBCBreakfast Any chance of knowing if Starmer asked for our £700million back????? Course he didn’t. All too f***ing cosy with the EU this dodgy PM and some of us old un’s still remember his ‘threat’ after Brexit!!! This PM has way too many skeletons in his dodgy cupboard!!!!”

Another viewer chimed in, “The truly annoying thing about the Post Office and the blood scandal payouts is Starmer had no problem spaffing £30bn on Chagos, or £7bn on migrants.”

And a third summed up their feelings with, “Sooo how much money is Starmer going to give the French this time 😡”

As the summit kicks off, it’s clear plenty of people aren’t convinced the UK will come out of it any better off. Whether Starmer manages to strike a deal or simply faces more backlash remains to be seen.

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