Macron boasts Brexit has made the EU STRONGER

Macron boasts Brexit has made the EU STRONGER and ‘scandalmongers who predicted other countries would leave have been proved wrong’

• French President said Britain’s solitary exit proved success of EU multilateralism
• There was speculation Brexit could lead to other member states leaving EU
• This domino effect never materialised and Britain was the only one to withdraw
• ‘This shows that our democratic model has been upheld,’ Macron declared
• Franco-British relations have been strained ever since the UK voted for Brexit
• Liz Truss, widely tipped to become PM next week, said last Thursday she wasn’t sure whether Macron was a ‘friend or foe’ of Britain 

The EU has only become ‘stronger’ and ‘more sovereign’ in the wake of Brexit, Emmanuel Macron declared today. 

The French President, referring to predictions that Britain’s withdrawal from the European bloc would prompt other member states to do the same, told ambassadors that the absence of such a domino effect is a testament to the benefits of European multilateralism. 

‘We have changed Europe – it is no longer the same as it was five years ago. It is more aware, it is more sovereign. It is stronger,’ the centrist Macron said.

‘In this way, we have actually made sure all those scandalmongers who were saying how Brexit was just the beginning of a whole series of other exits from the EU have been proved wrong.

‘This is something that shows that our democratic model has been upheld, our multilateralism has also been very efficient.’

Britain withdrew from the EU in 2020 after a referendum in 2016 saw 52 per cent of participants vote to leave.   

Franco-British relations have been strained ever since, with Prime Ministerial candidate Liz Truss saying as recently as last week that the ‘jury was still out’ when asked if Macron was a ‘friend or foe’ of the UK.

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the conference of ambassadors at the Elysées, France on September 1, 2022

Franco-British relations have been strained ever since the UK marginally voted to withdraw from the EU in 2016, with Prime Ministerial candidate Liz Truss (left) saying as recently as last week that the ‘jury was still out’ when asked if Macron (right) was a ‘friend or foe’ of the UK

The Foreign Secretary, who is widely tipped to be named as Prime Minister on Monday, set up a fresh diplomatic spat across the Channel when she questioned Macron’s attitude towards the UK while speaking to Tory members in Norwich last week.

She has previously used the Tory leadership contest to pledge to be ‘robust’ with French authorities over the Channel migrant crisis – a major point of tension between the two nations in recent months – and is thought to be considering a fresh Brexit fight by tearing up the Northern Ireland Protocol within days of entering Number 10.

Macron swiftly retorted to Truss’ statements, speaking on the friendship shared between Britain and France while jibing back at the Foreign Secretary.

‘The UK is a friendly nation, regardless of its leaders, and sometimes in spite of its leaders,’ he said.

‘It’s never a good idea to lose your bearings in life. If I’d been asked the question myself, this is how I’d answer it – whoever becomes the next leader of Great Britain, I won’t ask myself any questions about them personally.’

Macron went on to remind Truss of the importance of maintaining positive relations in the face of wider threats.

‘We have more and more liberal governments, autocratic democracies and other powers that create imbalance, and if we’re not able to say whether the French and British people are friends or foes – and the word foes is not a neutral one – then we’re heading towards serious problems.

‘So yes, I say it with certainty, the British people, the British nation is our friend.

‘The UK, strong and allied, regardless of its leaders, and sometimes in spite of and beyond its leaders, or regardless of the small mistakes they can make in their speeches.’

Outgoing PM Johnson, who has had his fair share of disagreements with Macron over the years, attempted to take the heat out of the spat.

‘Emmanuel Macron est un tres bon buddy de notre pays,’ he said, adding: ‘I think the relations between the UK and France are of huge importance. They have been very good for a long time, ever since the Napoleonic era basically, and I think we should celebrate that.

‘As for Emmanuel, I’ve had very good relations with him and I can tell you something: he’s a great, great fan of our country.’

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, one of the most vocal supporters of Brexit, is pictured here in 2016

Macron today also discussed the war in Ukraine and spoke on the importance of maintaining support for Ukraine over the long term

Aside from extolling the successes of the EU in his speech today in Paris, Macron spoke on the importance of maintaining support for Ukraine in its war with Russia while stressing the necessity to continue communications with Moscow. 

Macron remains one of the only European leaders still intent on speaking intermittently with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

‘We must not let Europe get divided’ over the war in Ukraine and its consequences, Macron said, adding that the EU mustn’t align itself with ‘warmongers’ or allow countries from eastern Europe to act alone in support of Kyiv. 

‘European unity is key because division is one of Russia’s war objectives… France will continue to talk to Russia,’ he said. ‘Who wants Turkey to be the only power in the world which continues to talk to Russia?’

Macron insisted that talking to Moscow was imperative to avoid escalation in the conflict and ultimately to help set the terms for a negotiated peace, which he stressed only Ukraine could decide.

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