Liz Truss is a promising candidate to succeed British Prime Minister Johnson. The 47-year-old leaves open how she feels about French President Macron during an election campaign. When asked if he was friend or foe, she replies: “The verdict is still pending.”
British candidate for Prime Minister Liz Truss is yet to decide whether she sees French President Emmanuel Macron as an adversary or an ally. At an election campaign appearance in Norwich, England, on Thursday evening, when asked whether Macron was “friend or foe”, Truss replied: “The verdict is still pending.” If she becomes prime minister, she will judge the Frenchman on his actions, not his words. In the ranks of the conservative party base, the 47-year-old received applause, and several commentators on Twitter reacted with outrage.
The British-French relationship has always been tense, but it has been additionally strained since Brexit. London and Paris are at odds, among other things, about migrants crossing the English Channel on inflatable boats and about fishing licenses after Britain leaves the EU. Macron was considered a tough opponent of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Brexit negotiations.
After Truss’s statement, Macron emphasized the strong friendship between the two countries, Great Britain is a friend of France, he didn’t have to think for a second. “The British people, the nation that is the UK, is a friend, strong and united, regardless of their leaders and sometimes despite their leaders or the small mistakes they make in podium speeches,” Macron said. “If you are not able to say between the French and the British whether we are friend or foe – the term is not neutral – then we are heading for serious problems.”
At least 160,000 members of the conservative Tory party are currently voting on Johnson’s successor. On September 5th it will be announced who will move into Downing Street and take over the office of Prime Minister. According to polls, Foreign Minister Truss is the favourite, but her competitor, ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, also thinks he has a chance.