Macron tells UK parliament that Europe must end its dependency on the US and China – as it happened

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

6.15pm BST

Early evening summary

• Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel ahead of a summit with Keir Starmer. As PA Media reports, Macron said the issue of irregular migration was a “burden” to both countries. The UK has pushed for tougher action from the French authorities on the beaches along the Channel coast and also hopes to strike a “one in, one out” deal to send small boat migrants back to the continent. In exchange, the UK would accept asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link. Speaking to MPs and peers in Parliament as part of his state visit to the UK, Macron said:

In this unstable world, hope for a better life elsewhere is legitimate.

But we cannot allow our countries’ rules for taking in people to be flouted and criminal networks to cynically exploit the hopes of so many individuals with so little respect for human life.

France and the UK have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness.

• More than 13 people may have killed themselves as a result of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal and it drove at least 59 more to contemplate suicide, according to the first findings from the public inquiry into what has been labelled the worst miscarriage of justice in UK history.

• The UK’s public finances are on an unsustainable long-term trajectory, given the growing cost of state pensions and the mounting climate emergency, the Office for Budget Responsibility has warned.

• Rishi Sunak is to take on a new job as an adviser to the investment bank Goldman Sachs while still serving as an MP.

• Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, in England have voted in favour of strikes that could result in industrial action lasting until January next year, the British Medical Association has announced.

• “Huge swathes” of severely disabled people will be hit by the planned universal credit cuts, contrary to government claims that they will be protected, charities say.

For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.

6.05pm BST

Visitors to Wales could be charged £1.30 per night from 2027 after Senedd passes tourist tax bill

Bethan McKernan is the Guardian’s Wales correspondent.

Overnight visitors to Wales could pay a tourist tax from 2027 after the Senedd passed new legislation aimed at curbing overtourism.

The law, which could raise as much as £33m a year if widely adopted, will give councils the option to tax people staying at hotels £1.30 a night, or 75p at campsites and hostels.

The legislation passed 37-13 in the Senedd during a final debate today after Plaid Cymru lent its support.

“We believe it is reasonable for visitors to contribute towards infrastructure and services integral to their experience, as they do in so many other parts of the world,” finance secretary and former first minister Mark Drakeford said in a statement.

The charges, which are expected to come into force in 2027 at the earliest, are subject to VAT. Children under 18 will be exempt at hostels and campsites.

So far, Cardiff, Anglesey and Gwynedd have shown interest in introducing the new levy, despite opposition from some businesses worried it could deter visitors. The Welsh Tourism Alliance has said that the wording of the bill means councils will not have to spend the money raised on tourism infrastructure.

Impact assessments vary wildly: the boost to the economy could be between £7.3m - £10.8m, according to one study, but could also lead to the loss of 390 jobs.

Several holiday destinations across Europe have introduced visitor taxes in recent years in a bid to clampdown on overtourism and raise funds to manage and improve local infrastructure. In the UK, Manchester implemented a tourist levy in 2023, and Liverpool, Mournemoth, Pool and Christchurch followed suit last year. A Scottish tourist tax comes into effect in July 2026.