UK and France PMs unite to tackle IS recruitment

DAVID CAMERON and French prime minister Manuel Valls have met to discuss measures to prevent would-be jihadis travelling to Iraq and Syria to join forces with Islamic State (IS) militants.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls meets with Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street to discuss measures to tackle IS. Picture: PA

The Prime Minister welcomed Mr Valls to Downing Street for talks about the international effort to combat IS - also known as Isil - and he said the UK and France were “strong allies”.

The pair were also expected to talk about the economic challenges facing the two countries during the meeting at No 10.

Both France and the UK have launched air strikes against IS fighters in Iraq, and both nations have seen hundreds of their citizens travel to the Middle East to potentially link up with militant groups.

Mr Cameron said: “There’s a lot to discuss today. As strong allies within the European Union and Nato, we both face the same challenge in responding to Isil in Iraq and Syria.

“I’m sure we will discuss that and how we prevent fighters from leaving our shores to go to these countries.”

On the economy, Mr Cameron acknowledged that he was from “different political families” to the French socialist, but he said the two countries faced the same challenges.

Mr Cameron said: “I’m sure we will have a lot to talk about on the economy, where the bilateral relationship is very strong, we both have the same challenges of getting our economies to grow and generate jobs and wealth.

“While we are from different political families, I’m sure there is a lot that we can share in terms of experience about what needs to happen.”