Macron says he knows ‘very well’ about British sovereignty

When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Data published by Eurostat last week showed that in the first four months of the year, EU imports from the UK dropped by 27.1 percent compared with the same period last year. France is said to be at the vanguard of this drive, as Mr Macron has been accused of “trying to cause the maximum inconvenience” for Brexit Britain. It comes following a number of decisions that appeared to show his contempt for the UK after leaving the EU.

This included his “utterly disgraceful” decision to suspend freight transport from the UK to France in December, his conflicting comments on the groundbreaking AstraZeneca vaccine and also threatening to turn the lights off in Jersey over a fishing dispute.

Historian Robert Zaretsky said Mr Macron is “re-enacting de Gaulle’s hostility to Britain”.

Mr de Gaulle famously vetoed Britain’s application to the EEC in 1963 and 1967 over economic concerns, but he was also said to have a personal vendetta against the UK over their relationship with the US.

Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill put it more bluntly, stating: “He hates England and has left a trail of Anglophobia behind him everywhere.”

Mr Zaretsky stated in 2019 that Mr Macron was “pushing around Britain, Germany, and Italy – and going back to his country’s foreign-policy roots”.

He pointed to Mr Macron’s official presidential photograph that shows Macron flanked by the French and European Union flags and an opened book on the desk behind him.

He added: “Though the title is not shown, Macron made it known that the book was none other than the memoirs of Charles de Gaulle.

“In the two years since the photograph was snapped, Macron has tried to portray himself to the French, as well as portray France to Europe and the rest of the world, as de Gaulle once did.

“Those efforts – specifically, Macron’s dealings with Germany, Italy, and Britain – have recently become more pronounced.”

After highlighting Mr Macron’s hostility to Germany and Italy in his piece for Foreign Policy, Mr Zaretsky moved on to the UK.

He said: “In a curious way, Macron is re-enacting de Gaulle’s hostility to Britain.

“Just as the latter repeatedly rejected Britain’s moves to enter the EEC, the former repeatedly reminded Brits of the costs of moving out of the EU.

“One Government source muttered that Macron and his team ‘just say no to everything and, by a mile, are the most difficult ones’, while another echoed that the French had been the most ‘disobliging’ nation during the multilateral negotiations.

“Such complaints from the British would have warmed the general’s [de Gaulle’s] heart.”

DON’T MISS
UK to launch own satellite with Space Command ‘to combat Russia threat [REVEALED]
Coronavirus: Psychological impact of mask-wearing [EXPOSED]
Boris Johnson’s plan to slash your energy bill by £750 [REVEALED]

Mr Macron risked sparking another diplomatic spat at the G7 summit in Cornwall earlier this month after reportedly stating that Northern Ireland was not part of the UK.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the remark was “offensive” and that EU figures characterised Northern Ireland “as somehow a separate country”.

Speaking to Express.co.uk exclusively, Government defence adviser Nicholas Drummond claimed Mr Macron may want to be more cautious with his language in the future.

He said: “Macron is determined that Brexit should cause the UK the maximum inconvenience.

“By adopting such a mindset, he has set back Anglo-French relations 30 years.

“Macron may be doing this to win points at home, but given France’s poor COVID-19 response, improved management of the pandemic could be a better tactic to win domestic approval.”

Source: Read Full Article