French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the media ahead of a Weimar Triangle meeting to discuss the ongoing Ukraine crisis February 8, in Berlin, Germany. (Hannibal Hanschke/Getty Images)
During her campaign to reclaim the leadership of the Conservative Party, Liz Truss pushed to win the hearts of around 160,000 right-wing Britons.
And it was a task to which he bent, taking various opportunities to scorn political figures at the other end of the political spectrum, often to the cheers of his audience.
But on Tuesday, Truss will become Britain’s prime minister and the new leader of the G7. And some of his comments on the campaign trail may lead to awkward encounters.
Truss caused controversy when he said “the jury is out” on whether French President Emmanuel Macron is a “friend or foe” of the UK. “If I become prime minister, I will judge him by deeds, not words,” he added.
Britain and France have long been close allies on the world stage. Their relationship has been strained in recent years, particularly over the rise in migrants crossing the English Channel, but it was a remarkable move for an incoming British leader – and the acting foreign secretary – imply that France could be an “enemy” towards the UK. .
It was an uproar that Boris Johnson, little known for his own history of diplomacy, felt the need to clean up, telling reporters that Macron was a “very good friend” of Britain and insisting that British-French relations have been “very good”. .”
“Great Britain is a friend of France; a strong ally, regardless of their leaders, and sometimes in spite of their leaders, or the little mistakes they can make while speaking in public,” Macron said when asked about Truss’ comments.
Truss was less keen to comment on whether former US President Donald Trump was friend or foe, saying at his latest research event on Sunday that he would not discuss “potential future presidential candidates”. At the same event, he said of China’s President Xi Jinping: “I won’t use the word enemy, but what I will say is that I am concerned about China’s assertiveness,” according to PA Media.
The new British Prime Minister has also pointed to the leaders of the nations of the United Kingdom, with whom he will have to work on power transmission and sharing agreements. He called Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford a “low-energy version of Jeremy Corbyn”, the former Labor leader, during a hunting event last month, and said Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon is “a attention seeker”.
The comments could risk voters in Scotland, where Sturgeon has pushed for an independence referendum, and Wales, where the Conservatives are fighting to regain seats they won in the 2019 general election.
“Congratulations to Liz Truss. Our political differences are deep, but I will try to build a good working relationship with her as I did with the last 3 PM,” Sturgeon wrote on Twitter after Truss’ victory. “It must now freeze energy bills for people and businesses, provide more cash support and increase funding for public services.”