Will Liz Truss be friend or foe of Emmanuel Macron’s France? The question, a little abrupt, bounces like a lost ball at the end of a verbal ping-pong. Because in the final stretch of her campaign to lead the Conservative Party and succeed Boris Johnson as head of the British Government – which ended with her appointment on Monday and handover to Balmoral on Tuesday – Liz Truss has clearly expressed her reservations about the Republic President. She reacted strongly, before trying to calm things down.
This remote confrontation reflects the tensions that have been driving Franco-British relations for several months. and mistrust of Tories looking across the Channel.
thrusts
It was Liz Truss who lit the first fuse on August 25 at a public meeting in Norwich, in the heart of her Norfolk constituency. To the journalist who hosted the event, who was asked if she considered Emmanuel Macron a “friend” or an “enemy”, she replied: “The jury is still out.” She then chained: “If I become prime minister, I will judge him by his actions and not by his words.” Double uppercut that earned him the applause of the conservative public.
According to European essayist Patrick Martin-Genier, one must see in these cheers the legacy of a tradition of hostility Tories regarding France. “It is fashionable within the Conservative Party to bash Europe and France, because it flatters the populist and nationalist ego of their constituency base. This is particularly true of Liz Truss, who has been supported by the most right-wing wing of the party. “, she discusses with BFMTV.com.
The French response, in any case, was swift. The next day, on the sidelines of his trip to Algiers, Emmanuel Macron had addressed: “The nation that is the United Kingdom is a friendly, strong and allied nation, whatever its leaders, and sometimes despite and beyond its leaders . or the little mistakes they can make when speaking from the stage.” “If we are not able, between the French and the British, to say if we are friends or enemies – the term is not neutral – we are going to have serious problems”, he had warned again.
On Monday, however, after Liz Truss’s victory was announced at the end of the appointment process, Emmanuel Macron sought to calm the debate. During a press point, he promised: “We are available to work among allies and friends.” “Congratulations to Liz Truss for choosing her. The British people are a friendly people, the British Nation, our ally. Let’s continue to work together in defense of our common interests, ”he expanded on Twitter in parallel.
The Head of State listed these “common interests”, referring to “energy cooperation” -particularly around the issue of nuclear energy while EDF is building two reactors at Hinckley Point- or even the fight against global warming.
Different options in Ukraine
However, these files do not mask dissent. And the conservative deputies whom BFMTV interviewed on Monday in Congress endorsing Liz Truss’s victory did not hide it. “She didn’t seem downright friendly with Emmanuel Macron,” MP Mel Stride first acknowledged, before trying to be more optimistic: “But now that she has to cooperate with one of our most valuable allies, I’m sure she will.” The right thing.”
His colleague Mark Francois pontificated: “I say this very formally, we must stick together among Westerners.” This diversion by the West can be understood as a reference to the need for mutual European aid in the face of Russian intrigues in Ukraine. It is true that France and the United Kingdom are staunch allies of the attacked country, but they defend different options. When Emmanuel Macron is willing to keep the channels of discussion open with the Kremlin, the British government, and thus Liz Truss, then foreign minister, has been more rigid. Boris Johnson has thus multiplied his visits to Kyiv.
Russia, however, does not wonder much about the quality of its future relations with the head of government. “If we judge by Mrs. Truss’s statements, made when she was still Foreign Minister (…), we can say with great certainty that we should not expect changes for the better,” in fact, Dmitry released this Tuesday. Peskov, spokesman for the Russian presidency before the TASS agency.
Front line truss in fishing
But the bone of contention is less in the Ukrainian capital than at the bottom of a fishing net. If last April the two nations seemed to end their duel over the licenses granted to French fishermen, the controversy poisoned bilateral relations from the fall of 2021. After the conclusion of Brexit, the United Kingdom has recovered the full sovereignty over its territorial waters. , which are particularly rich in fish. In order for European seafarers, and in particular the French, to continue to access it, they had to apply for a license from the British authorities.
Quickly, France criticized its partner for granting this document only dribbles, even brandishing the possibility of initiating legal proceedings with the European Commission. “Unacceptable threat” to Liz Truss then. Patrick Martin-Genier also stresses that the dispute is not yet fully resolved: “We are not yet sure that the fishing quotas will apply.”
Northern Ireland, migrants: European confrontations
Another dispute hampers the diplomatic responsibilities of the new Prime Minister: the delicate commercial situation in Northern Ireland. To the chagrin of the British government, Brexit hastened Ulster’s exit from the UK’s internal market, imposing customs controls on goods arriving from Britain. This time, however, the conflict is more European than strictly Franco-British. But Liz Truss is part of it. She “she has decided to introduce a bill in the House of Commons aimed at undoing the agreement signed on this point between Boris Johnson and Europe, to empty it of substance. It could start a trade war!”. she worries Patrick Martin-Genier.
Our interlocutor raises a final battle between Liz Truss, France and Europe: the migration issue. “France is accused by the British of being a sieve. However, the United Kingdom has not yet paid in full what it owes the French, among other things, to increase the number of troops to fight illegal immigration,” he stresses. . Patrick Martin-Genier.
Breaking off
As we can see, Liz Truss will not miss out on opportunities to make “friends” in France and more widely on the continent. But, deep down, is the treatment so different from that proposed by Boris Johnson, Eurosceptic par excellence and not exempt from hostile positions towards France?
“Beyond his words, Boris Johnson actually loves France, he respects it. He had a complex but friendly relationship with Emmanuel Macron. He is a man of great culture, who knows how to talk to people, knowing how to take a step back”, replies Patrick Martin-Genier who contrasts:” Liz Truss, has a very tough position, and has confirmed that she intends to govern as ‘conservative ‘. Which does not bode well for his relations with Europe and France.” Our expert concludes: “If he doesn’t gain some height, he is going to run into serious difficulties with France.”
Source: BFM TV
