Sarko visit live: follow it here

Nicolas Sarkozy lavished praise on the courage and dynamism of the British people yesterday but urged them to play a fuller part in Europe.

The French President made an impassioned plea that Britain and France “write a new page in our common history” as he addressed both Houses of Parliament. Calling for greater cooperation over the issues of energy, immigration, security and defence he called for a new Franco-British “brotherhood” to drive through reform.

His most powerful rhetoric was used to express gratitude for Britain’s help for a free France. President Sarkozy insisted France would “never forget” and was not “entitled to forget” the sacrifice the British had made during the Second World War.

“On behalf of the people of France, France will never forget,” he said. “France will never forget that when it was virtually wiped out, down on its knees, it was Britain who stood by us. France will never forget the heroic resistance of the British people without which all would have been lost.” While he said that Britain was seen in many countries as a “political and human ideal”, it was with France that it had the “tightest, closest ties”.

“The destiny of our countries has been intermingled for some thousand years since William the Conqueror landed from Normandy and wrested the throne of Edward the Confessor, right through to the reverse trend whereby thousands of young British men and women contributed to the liberating of Europe,” he said.

He said that the Entente Cordiale was now better described as the Entente Amicale because the countries had not fought for so long. The praise was mixed with coded criticism for Britain’s failure more fully to engage in Europe. President Sarkozy said that while he knew Europe was a sensitive issue the Continent “needed the UK”.

“If we want to change Europe, we need you inside Europe to help us do so, not standing on the outside.” He said that the “French-German axis” was an “indispensable driving force”, but, to bring its 27 nations together, “we need a French-British entente”.

The President also hinted that France might be open to reform of the Common Agricultural Policy – and said that the two countries had to work together in the Middle East. He confirmed that he would propose increasing his country’s commitment in Afghanistan at a Nato summit in Bucharest next week.

Today he and Gordon Brown will co-host a Franco-British summit at the Emirates Stadium in North London, home of Arsenal Football Club, at the conclusion of the first state visit from a French president in 12 years. They are expected to sign a series of deals on issues including international affairs and immigration.

Mr Brown will also discuss a joint energy initiative with President Sarkozy. They are expected to strike an agreement under which British and French nuclear industry regulators would work more closely together, including on licensing the designs of nuclear reactors. Britain has often been at loggerheads at European Union summits with France over its reluctance to open up its gas and electricity markets to overseas companies.

France has a much bigger nuclear energy sector, while Britain is seeking private sector bids to build a new generation of nuclear power stations. John Hutton, the Business Secretary, who will discuss details of the cooperation deal with Jean-Louis Borloo, the French Energy Minister, said that nuclear power could be Britain’s biggest energy asset since North Sea oil and gas.

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