U.K., France headed for “serious problems” if they cannot agree whether they are friends: Macron

Emmanuel Macron said the U.K. was a friendly country, regardless of its leaders and “sometimes, in spite of its leaders”.

French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his country’s friendship with Britain but warned that the two countries were going to have “serious problems” if they could not agree on whether they were friends. His comments were in response to U.K. Foreign Secretary and frontrunner in the Prime Ministerial race Liz Truss saying that it wasn’t clear whether Mr Macron was a friend or foe of Britain.

“Britain is a friend of France, I don’t doubt that for a second,” Mr Macron told reporters during a visit to Algiers. “If France and Britain cannot say whether they are friends or enemies...then we are headed for serious problems,” he added.

Mr Macron said the U.K. was a friendly country, regardless of its leaders and “sometimes, in spite of its leaders”.

Ms Truss’s comments about the leader of one of Britain’s closest allies, were made at the Conservative Party hustings in Norwich on Thursday and have added significance as she is the frontrunner in the contest with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, for the leadership of the party and the Prime Minister’s post.

“The jury’s out,” Ms Truss said , to cheers and claps from the audience, when she was asked, “President Macron: friend or foe?”

“If I become Prime Minister, I’ll judge him on deeds, not words,” she added.

Ms Truss’s words made the news earlier this week as well when, at Tuesday’s Birmingham hustings, she said she was “ready” to push the the U.K.’s nuclear button if she had to as Prime Minister.