Dbeginning of controversy between France and the United Kingdom. The favorite for the post of British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, refused to say whether the French president was “friend or enemy” of her country during an election meeting of the Conservative Party in Norwich (south-east of the United Kingdom), claiming that she would judge the French president “on his actions”.
And the French response was quick, Friday, from Algiers: “The British people, the nation that is the United Kingdom is a friendly, strong and allied nation, regardless of its leaders, and sometimes despite and beyond of its leaders or the small mistakes they can make in statements from the stage,” said the French head of state.
“If we are not able, between French and British, to say if we are friend or enemy – the term is not neutral – we are going towards serious problems, then estimated Emmanuel Macron. It’s never good to lose your bearings too much in life. If I was asked the question (…), whoever is considered, the future leadership in Britain, I do not wonder for a single second. The United Kingdom is a friend of France,” he insisted.
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When the journalist hosting the evening asked the question: “Macron, friend or enemy? Liz Truss replied, “The jury is still out,” making the room laugh. “If I become prime minister, I will judge him by his actions and not his words,” she added.
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Many litigation files exist between France and the United Kingdom, in particular the management of post-Brexit files, whether fisheries or Northern Ireland.
The two countries, allies within NATO, have also had different approaches to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Boris Johnson taking a very hard line against Vladimir Putin while the French president has defended the need to keep open dialogue with the master of the Kremlin.