After le bust-up, PM gives Macron un olive branch

BORIS Johnson has tried to patch up relations with Emmanuel Macron after an extraordinary diplomatic spat over a UK, US and Australian submarine pact.

The Prime Minister and French president ‘reaffirmed the importance of the UK-France relationship’ in their first talks since the row over the ‘Aukus’ alliance, No10 said.

Mr Macron had reacted furiously to the pact, recalling France’s ambassadors to Washington and Canberra, prompting Mr Johnson to tell France to ‘get a grip’.

The pact meant Australia scrapped a £27billion deal with Paris for diesel-electric submarines in favour of nuclear-powered craft to be built using UK and US components.

Downing Street said Mr Johnson and Mr Macron ‘agreed to continue working closely together around the world on our shared agenda, through Nato and bilaterally’ during the call.

They also ‘agreed to intensify cooperation’ on the Channel migrant crisis and to ‘keep talking’ on other issues including fisheries licences and the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Mr Macron’s office said Mr Johnson had requested the call and ‘expressed his intention to restore co-operation between France and the UK’, including on the climate crisis, terrorism and the IndoPacific region. The French president told Mr Johnson that ‘he is awaiting his proposals’, the Elysee added in its terse statement.

Mr Macron’s government has suggested it was caught off-guard and betrayed by the deal, which it said amounted to a stab in the back by allies.

Visiting America this week, Mr Johnson discussed deepening the Aukus pact with US President Joe Biden.

The leaders maintained that further allies, including France, would not be able to join, but Mr Johnson raised the possibility of it being extended to include technology, such as artificial intelligence.

France is sending its ambassador back to Washington next week.