Britain and its people will always remain France’s allies, said President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, after the frontrunner for Britain’s next prime minister said she couldn’t decide if he was a friend or an enemy.
During a visit to Algeria, Macron described the United Kingdom as ‘a friendly nation, regardless of its leaders, sometimes in spite of its leaders.’
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, the frontrunner to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister in the Conservative leadership election, which runs until September 5, indicated on Thursday that she was undecided on the matter.
When asked whether Macron was a friend or adversary during a hustings session with rival leadership contender Rishi Sunak, Truss said, ‘The jury’s out,’ prompting cheers and acclaim from the audience of Conservative Party members.
Relations between London and Paris have deteriorated since the Conservative-led United Kingdom exited the European Union in 2020, with disagreements arising over immigration and post-Brexit trade over the Irish Sea.
Macron stated that he does not ‘for a single second’ doubt Britain’s status as a French ally, adding, ‘If France and Britain cannot say whether they are friends or adversaries… then we are headed for major issues.’
Truss was chastised by Britain’s opposition Labour Party foreign affairs spokesman David Lammy, who said she had ‘decided to needlessly offend one of our closest allies,’ demonstrating a ‘awful and dangerous lack of judgement.’
Truss also stated that if she were elected Prime Minister, she would judge Macron “on acts, not rhetoric.”
British finance minister and Truss supporter Nadhim Zahawi claimed the remark was meant in jest and that Britain wants to be judged on its actions, not its words. ‘Liz and I both recognise France as a vital ally,’ he explained.
French officials have privately stated that confidence between the two countries is extremely poor in the aftermath of Brexit.
When asked about the remarks, Johnson stated that relations between the United Kingdom and France were crucial. ‘I’ve always had extremely strong ties with Emmanuel Macron,’ he remarked, adding that Macron was a ‘tres bon friend.’
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