Ed Miliband is set to embark on his inaugural visit to Europe as Foreign Secretary this Wednesday, with a clear agenda to bolster ties with the EU.
His trip to France and Spain comes as both nations grapple with devastating wildfires, which have forced the evacuation of approximately 330,000 people.
Mr Miliband will extend the UK’s solidarity in the wake of the destruction, while also emphasising that the crisis serves as a potent reminder of the climate emergency, demanding unified international action.
In Paris, he is scheduled to meet his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, to discuss crucial matters including the defence of European security, continued support for Ukraine, and efforts to secure peace in the Middle East.
Co-operation on migration is also expected to feature in their discussions.
Following his engagements in France, the Foreign Secretary will travel to Madrid to confer with Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares.
Their talks are anticipated to cover the ongoing UK-EU Gibraltar treaty negotiations and broader collaboration on security issues.
The pressing issue of the climate crisis is slated for discussion during both high-level meetings, underscoring its global significance.
French authorities have ordered 4,000 more people to leave tourist sites along the country’s Atlantic coast, expanding what may be France’s largest peacetime evacuation as a vast wildfire west of Bordeaux raged.
A renewed heatwave was threatening firefighters’ fragile hold on the blaze, and fresh flames have erupted near Grand Crohot, a popular Atlantic beach on the Lège-Cap-Ferret peninsula, local authorities said.
French meteorological agency Meteo-France placed Gironde and Landes under a yellow heatwave warning.
President Emmanuel Macron said France was facing its most difficult situation since the Second World War, urging fire crews to “stay strong”.
More than 360,000 people across France and Spain in total have been forced to flee.
The new heatwave is forecast to last until at least Sunday.
