Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Macron says UK and France face problems if leaders unsure over friendship

Macron says UK and France face problems if leaders unsure over friendship

Emmanuel Macron has warned of "serious problems" for France-UK relations after the favourite to be the next British prime minister refused to say if the French president was "friend or foe".

Mr Macron reacted to remarks made by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said the jury was out on the French leader.

Mr Macron insisted the UK remained an ally, despite the occasional error made by its leaders.

And Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Mr Macron was a "good buddy" of the UK.

Senior politicians have accused Ms Truss, who is the frontrunner in the contest to succeed Mr Johnson as prime minister next month, of damaging the UK's relationship with France, a close ally.

Relations between France and the UK - both key members of the Nato military alliance - have been rocky in recent years, particularly after the latter's departure from the European Union.

Ms Truss - the UK's top diplomat - was asked about French relations during a Conservative Party event, where she and her leadership rival, Rishi Sunak, took questions from party members.

She said "the jury was out" on whether Mr Macron was a friend or foe, and she would judge him on "deeds not words", prompting cheers and applause from the audience.

Her comments came at the end of the leadership event - known as a hustings - during a series of quickfire questions posed by the host.

When asked the same question, Mr Sunak said Mr Macron was a "friend".

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Algeria on Friday, Mr Macron was asked his views on Ms Truss's comments about him.

After a long pause, he said "it's never good to lose your bearings too much in life".

He said he would have given a similar response to Mr Sunak's, had he been asked the same question about the next leader of the UK.

"If, between us as French and British people, we aren't able to say if we're friends or foes - the term isn't neutral - we're heading towards serious problems," Mr Macron said.

He said the UK was "a friendly, strong, ally nation, regardless of its leaders, and sometimes in spite of and beyond its leaders, or any potential slip-ups they make when playing to the gallery."

Ms Truss is the favourite to succeed Mr Johnson as prime minister


Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi defended Ms Truss's comments, calling them "light-hearted".

While he stressed the importance of the UK's close relationship with France, he suggested Ms Truss had made the comments with "a touch of humour".

But Nathalie Loiseau, a former French minister for European affairs and chairwoman of the European Parliament's EU-UK partnership assembly, did not appear to be amused.

Ms Loiseau tweeted to say Russian President Vladimir Putin was "the only one who can enjoy hearing this sort of comment".

Meanwhile Labour's David Lammy accused Ms Truss of "a woeful lack of judgement", saying she had insulted one of "Britain's closest allies".

One Conservative minister said Ms Truss's comments had "completely undermined our relationship with France", calling her a "faux Thatcher", a reference to the Eurosceptic former Tory prime minister.

In a tweet, former foreign minister Alistair Burt said Ms Truss had made a "serious error" and should have struck a more diplomatic tone.

Former Conservative minister Gavin Barwell also questioned Ms Truss's comment, saying: "You would have thought the foreign secretary was aware we are in a military alliance with France."

Ms Truss's comments have been picked up by French media, who have highlighted recent tensions between Paris and London.

The UK and France have clashed over several issues in recent years, including migrant boat crossings in the Channel, a military pact between Britain, the US and Australia, and Brexit measures involving Northern Ireland.

Mr Macron, who was re-elected for a second term earlier this year, has sometimes publicly criticised the Conservative government's approach.

Last year Mr Macron reacted angrily to Mr Johnson's public call for France to take back migrants who reached the UK.

The French president accused the prime minister of not being "serious" by making the call on Twitter, though they have since been pictured arm-in-arm at a G7 summit in Germany earlier this year.

When asked about Ms Truss's comments, Mr Johnson said he "had very good relations with Emmanuel Macron, saying the French president "est un tres bon buddy de notre pays (is a very good buddy of our country)".


Emmanuel Macron - friend or foe?



Analysis


by BBC political correspondent David Wallace Lockhart

There's no denying the UK can have a complex relationship with France. From boat crossings in the Channel to ferry passport checks, there's been tension recently.

But as a close neighbour and a fellow Nato member, there are few in mainstream politics who would consider France anything but a strong ally. Especially at a time when western unity over the war in Ukraine is so important, and any division could be exploited by the likes of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

While Ms Truss's comments did appear to go down well with the audience of Conservative members, she's still the foreign secretary - the UK's chief diplomat. And therefore what she says on international affairs really matters.

This won't be the end of the matter. Ms Truss will be asked about these comments again over the coming days.

What happens next will be watched carefully, on both sides of the Channel.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×