Macron tells UK France is a friend, not a foe

President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said he would not "for a second" hesitate to say "the United Kingdom is a friend of France."

His remarks were aimed at the favorite to become Britain's next prime minister.

At a campaign event on Thursday night, roughly 15 seconds of Foreign Minister Liz Truss's interview with conservative commentator Julia Hartley Brewer dominated the headlines. 

When asked, "President Macron, friend or foe?", Truss replied: "The jury's out. But if I become prime minister, I'll judge him on deeds, not words."

Macron has no doubts about Anglo-French relations

On Friday, Macron took time from an official visit to Algeria to address Truss's remarks. When confronted with Truss' comments by journalists and asked for a response, Macron paused, raised his eyebrows, and inhaled and exhaled deeply for a few seconds before answering. 

"Listen, it's never a good thing to lose your bearings in life," Macron said. "If France and Britain cannot say whether they are friends or enemies... then we are headed for serious problems."

He said that "whoever" wins the Conservative leadership contest, he would not doubt his answer "for a single second," also noting this was all the more important in an increasingly "complicated" world.

"The British people, the United Kingdom, is a friendly, strong and allied nation, regardless of its leaders, and sometimes in spite of its leaders or the little mistakes they may make when grandstanding," Macron said.

Back in Britain, outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson was trying to mend bridges switching to his somewhat limited French to describe Macron as a friend of the UK.

"I think I've always had very good relations with Emmanuel Macron. Emmanuel Macron est un très bon buddy de notre pays (a very good buddy of our country)," Johnson told broadcasters.

Johnson added: "I think the relations between the UK and France are of huge importance."

Britain's opposition Labour Party foreign affairs spokesman David Lammy criticized Truss, saying the fact she had "chosen to needlessly insult one of our closest allies shows a terrible and worrying lack of judgment."

Brexit soured cross-Channel relations

But the relationship has been rocky since Britain left the European Union in 2020.

The two neighbors have quarreled over immigration  and post-Brexit trade across the Irish Sea. The UK even deployed the Royal Navy during a fishing dispute.

And earlier this week, some French lawmakers complained to the European Commission that the UK had poured sewage into the English Channel.

lo/msh (AFP, Reuters)