After a long period of sustained political tensions, France appears to want to thaw its tense relationship with Brexit Britain, with the country’s President saying that there is now the will to “move on”.
A long period of arguments and diplomatic spats between the UK and France appear like they may be finally coming to an end, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying that there is the political “will” for both countries to “move on” in their political relationship.
Such a sentiment is probably music to the ears of incoming British Prime Minister Liz Truss, with her country being rather reliant on France to help it solve the ongoing English Channel Migrant Crisis, as well as to negotiate a new relationship with the European Union.
However, the sudden charm offensive by the Macron government may be prompted by ulterior motives, with there being reports that the Truss administration is considering joining the new “European Political Community“, an EU-lite org that appears to be the pet project of the French President.
According to a report by The Guardian, a meeting between Liz Truss and Emmanuel Macron at the United Nations in New York appeared to go very well, with both leaders being vocally far more positive about the two country’s relationship than they have been over the last number of months and years.
“I now believe in proof, in results. There is a will to re-engage, to move on, and to show that we are allies and friends in a complex world,” Macron said, a notable departure from his previous rhetoric towards Britain, which involved attacking the country’s then-government as “not serious” over various suggestions to do with the ongoing channel migrant crisis.
Meanwhile, a Downing Street press release on the meeting noted Truss as having thanked Macron for his kind words towards Britain in the aftermath of the Queen’s death, with the two leaders also reportedly finding lots of common ground on the ongoing energy crisis and the Ukraine War.
“As our people face a difficult winter with huge uncertainty of energy supply and the cost of living, the Prime Minister and President Macron underscored the importance of working together to end reliance on Russian energy and strengthen energy security,” the UK government statement read.
“We must continue to demonstrate to Putin that his economic blackmail over energy and food supplies will not succeed,” it continued, describing the two leaders as agreeing “to enhance UK-France cooperation on energy to reduce volatility in the market and cut costs for households”.
With the two nations having frequently come to political blows over the last number of years over disagreements mainly to do with Brexit, the sudden thawing of sentiment between the two powers will be particularly welcome for Britain’s incoming government, which is reportedly aiming to increase its cooperation with France in the hopes of solving the ongoing English Channel boat migrant crisis.
In particular, the country’s new Home Office tsar, Suella Braverman, has been reportedly considering the possibility of stationing UK border force officials on French beaches for the purposes of stopping crossings before they happen.
Such a measure, which was publicly suggested before by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has previously been angrily rejected by the French government before, though a more positive relationship between the two countries could mean that the Macron government may be more willing to tolerate the proposal.
However, the sudden warming of relations may come with a catch, with the suddenly positive approach to Anglo-French relations from Macron coinciding with reports that Britain is considering joining the newly minted “European Political Community“.
A pet project of the French President, the new community of European nations is being billed as a “new space” for cross-continent cooperation for nations both inside and outside the European Union.
The new project appears to have deep ties with Brussels however, with Euroactiv reporting that the EU is heavily involved in the new forum, with it being seen as a platform for countries looking to join the bloc, though will also include other nations who are happy to remain outside the increasingly centralised regional power.
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