British prime minister Theresa May is to pledge tens of millions of pounds to strengthen Britain’s border controls in France as she hosts talks with president Emmanuel Macron.
Officials said the £44.5 million (€50 million) would go towards fencing, CCTV and detection technology in Calais and other ports along the Channel.
Part of the money will also go towards helping relocate people away from Channel ports to prevent another migrant camp from forming as it did in Calais in 2015.
And Britain could commit to taking in a higher proportion of child refugees from France as part of its commitment to resettle 480 unaccompanied children under the Dubs scheme, it is understood.
The high profile summit, at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, will be an opportunity for the two leaders to underline their countries enduring ties, despite Britain’s impending withdrawal from the EU.
Increasing co-operation on defence and counter-terrorism will be high on the agenda at an event which will see the first meeting together of the heads of the two countries’ main intelligence agencies.
They will discuss how they can work together to counter threats such as the targeting of concert venues like Manchester Arena and the Bataclan in Paris, and terrorists using the internet as a “safe space”.
Britain will also commit to participating in Mr Macron’s “European intervention initiative”, which officials do not regard as a European army but a plan to enhance co-ordination of existing armed forces.
The meeting will also be an opportunity to discuss what Mrs May has described as “very significant” proposals by the French to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain, where it has never been displayed.
Mr Macron’s focus on border issues, however, was underlined by a visit to Calais on Tuesday when he vowed there would be no return of the “Jungle” tent city.