Grumpy Emmanuel Macron snubs olive branch from Boris Johnson following war of words over defence pact
GRUMPY Emmanuel Macron today snubbed an olive branch from Boris Johnson following a bitter war of words over a new defence pact.
The two leaders spoke by phone after a week of flared tempers in which the PM likened the French President to a jilted lover.
A row exploded when France was left out of a new alliance between Britain, the US and Australia.
The Elysée’s readout of their conversation today said the PM’s peace offering was given the cold shoulder.
The French government said: “Boris Johnson expressed his intention to reestablish cooperation between France & the UK, in line with our values & our shared interests.”
“The President responded that he was waiting for his proposals.”
Its terse tone jarred with the readout provided by Downing Street which tried to play down the rift.
A No10 statement said the leaders “reaffirmed the importance of the UK-France relationship and continue to working closely together”.
France was especially incensed by the AUKUS pact as it meant a billion-pound deal for them to build Aussie submarines was axed.
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Foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the secret deal was a “stab in the back” and took aim at the UK for pursuing “permanent opportunism”.
The PM risked inflaming the row when he slipped into franglais, telling Macron to “prenez un grip and donnez-moi un break”.
Speaking to reporters he added: “There are no easy ways of having these conversations.
“It’s a very human thing to delay the frank conversation until the last possible moment.
“I don’t know if anyone has been in that situation in their emotional life but it’s very human to put it off.”
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