Boris Johnson with Emmanuel Macron aythe Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow
(Picture: PA Wire)Downing Street has played down talk of frosty relations between Boris Johnson and Emanuel Macron after officials confirmed there were still no plans for the two leaders to hold a call following the French President’s re-election on Sunday.
Relations between the Prime Minister and Mr Macron have frayed in recent months over Brexit, immigration and Britain’s defence pact with the US and Australia which torpedoed French plans for a major submarine deal with Canberra. Mr Macron was also reported earlier this year to have called Mr Johnson a “clown” and accused him of not being serious, comments which were seen in No 10 as electioneering by France’s president in the run up to the weekend’s vote.
On Tuesday the Prime Minister’s official spokesman dismissed any suggestion of a rift between the two leaders, insisting that the pair had spoken regularly in recent weeks and months to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He said: “There’s no call scheduled….as you will appreciate with world leaders call timings can change quite often. Both people are exceptionally busy.
“They have spoken very regularly in recent weeks and months….not least because of the situation in Ukraine.”
