“The best way of fighting against the forces of hate and division, is to show that mainstream, progressive politics can fix this problem,” he wrote in a joint article with the Danish leader, Mette Frederiksen.

“Listening to legitimate concerns and acting on them is what our politics is about. That’s not empty populism, it’s democracy. We are determined to show that our societies can act with compassion while upholding law and order, and fairness.”

The two leaders called on European allies to go further in tackling the shared challenge of migration by modernising the ECHR to reflect the challenges of the 21st century.

“Europe has faced big tests before and we have overcome them by acting together. Now we must do so again. Otherwise, the forces that seek to divide us will grow stronger.

“So our message is this: as responsible, progressive governments we will deliver the change that people are crying out for. We will control our borders to protect our democracies – and make our nations stronger than ever in the years to come.”