MACRON THE JILTED LOVER
PM wades into row over security pact as he lapses into Franglais and tells rival to get a grip
BORIS Johnson appeared to liken Emmanuel Macron to a jilted lover last night – amid an extraordinary diplomatic spat over a new security deal.
The Prime Minister admitted that he and Joe Biden had been ‘taken aback’ by the strength of the French reaction to being cut out of the Aukus pact with the US and Australia.
But he risked pouring fresh fuel on the fire by breaking into ‘Franglais’ jibes and appearing to liken President Macron to a romantic partner who learned they were being dumped at the last minute.
Speaking to reporters while travelling in the US, the Prime Minister acknowledged that France may have learned of the deal late on. ‘There are no easy ways of having these conversations,’ he said. ‘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.
‘Everybody has been a bit taken aback by the strength of the French reaction and we all want to reach out to Paris and sort something out.’
However, Mr Johnson appeared to mock Mr Macron, saying it was time for some of ‘our dearest friends’ to ‘prenez un grip about this and donnez-moi un break’ – get a grip and give me a break.
It emerged yesterday that despite the row, the three Aukus partners are hoping to use the security deal to deepen ties further. It is understood France will not be invited to join the group.
Paris was infuriated by the secret Aukus deal, which has cost it a £50billion contract to supply dieselpowered submarines to Australia.
Australia is thought to have informed Paris shortly beforehand that it was switching to nuclearpowered submarines offered by the US and UK. Some Whitehall sources believe the French outrage is designed to try to extract more compensation from Australia.
Yesterday, the PM said he was keen to build bridges with the French after they claimed they had been ‘stabbed in the back’ by allies.
Defending the deal, he told reporters in Washington DC: ‘This is fundamentally a great step forward for global security.
‘It’s three very like-minded allies standing shoulder to shoulder creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology. It’s not exclusive. It’s not trying to shoulder anybody out. It’s not adversarial towards China for instance.’ It is understood that Mr Johnson discussed deepening the deal during separate talks in Washington with Mr Biden and Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
All three men are said to be keen to expand the deal to other areas, such as defending human rights and open markets. President Biden and Mr Johnson are said to have discussed their ‘astonishment’ at the scale of the French anger.
Mr Morrison has assured them both that he informed Paris of the deal in advance.
Senior diplomats believe the French government is furious with its security agencies for missing the signals that the Aukus deal was being struck. But some believe the French outrage is synthetic.
One Whitehall source said: ‘They are still going – it is incredible.
‘Ultimately, this is a sovereign decision for Australia about who they want to supply their submarine capability.’
The deal comes just months before France’s presidential elections, where Mr Macron is seeking to extend his term.
Foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the agreement as a ‘stab in the back’.
The French government has taken the unprecedented step of withdrawing its ambassadors from the US and Australia in protest.
Mr Le Drian said Britain was guilty of ‘permanent opportunism’ but was only a ‘fifth wheel on the carriage’ of the deal.
Until now, Mr Johnson has tried to soothe Mr Macron’s wounded pride. Speaking to reporters en route to the US on Sunday, he said: ‘Our love of France is ineradicable.’
‘Stabbed in the back’
I just think it’s time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip about this and donnez-moi un break BORIS JOHNSON YESTERDAY