President Sarkozy is hoping to discuss greater industrial co-operation on nuclear energy and defence when he meets Gordon Brown tomorrow.

The two leaders are expected to sign an agreement designed to pave the way for the construction of a new generation of UK nuclear power plants using French know-how.

They are discussing a plan to allow greater information sharing regarding new French reactor designs that could be used to build the new UK plants. The agreement is also expected to help the two countries to jointly market nuclear technology overseas.

Britain currently generates nearly 20 per cent of its electricity from nuclear power while in France the figure is around 80 per cent.

The French also want to partner with the Ministry of Defence to develop a number of next-generation weapon systems including new missiles, armoured vehicles and aircraft carriers.

Modern warfare has become so expensive that countries are increasingly turning to international partners to help defray the costs. The French have been impressed by the way the MoD has introduced new procurement rules that transfer more risk to the companies building its equipment and want to import some of these ideas.

The French are also optimistic that greater co-operation with the UK could open the door to defence sales to the United States, which would normally never consider French-built weaponry.

French and British diplomats are expected to discuss co-operation on the proposed new aircraft carriers that both countries want to build.

The two new British carriers will cost about £3.8 billion but if the French join the project both could save about £200 million from bulk buying components.

The British division of Thales, a French defence company, has designed the Royal Navy's new carriers and the same design will be used by the French, if they decide to go ahead with the project.

President Sarkozy is also hoping to persuade Gordon Brown to select a French company to supply armoured vehicles to the Army.

US-based General Dynamics and France's Nexter are competing to provide 3,000 vehicles as part of the £16 billion Future Rapid Effects System (FRES) project and the Americans are thought to be front-runners.

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