PM says no apology needed as French anger over axed subs deal deepens

Scott Morrison sees no reason to apologise to French President Emmanuel Macron, as a diplomatic rift becomes a chasm.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended leaking Emmanuel Macron’s text messages, and declared it was time for everyone to “move on”, as the diplomatic rift between Australia and France widened.

The Prime Minister also refused to apologise to the French President, saying there was “no need for that”.

Speaking at Australia’s defence operating hub in the Middle East, Mr Morrison was again peppered with questions about the furore over his decision to rip up a $90 billion submarine contract with France and acquire America’s nuclear-powered technology.

France’s ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, on Wednesday slammed the leaking of Mr Macron’s text messages, which were used by the Prime Minister to defend himself against the French President’s claims he had been lied to about the deal.

“This is an unprecedented new low in terms of how to proceed and also in terms of truth and trust,” the ambassador said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and French President Emmanuel Macron talk before the G20 leaders make a short visit to the Fontana di Trevi before the start of the second day of the G20 in Rome. Picture: Adam Taylor

“Doing so also sends a very worrying signal for all heads of state: beware, in Australia there will be leaks and what you say in confidence to your partners will be eventually used and weaponised against you one day.”

But Mr Morrison said: “I was very clear about what that communication was, and that was necessary given the matters that were raised.”

Asked if the messages were leaked because Mr Macron called him a liar, Mr Morrison added: “Claims had been made and those claims were refuted.”

“What is needed now is for us all to just get on with it,” he said.

“All of the obvious objections and reactions to Australia’s decision have come from all the obvious places for all the obvious reasons.”

“This contract was about delivering the best possible capability for the men and women who serve in our defence force.”

“It’s important now that we all just move on, frankly.”

Mr Morrison did not engage with the fierce criticism made by his predecessor Malcolm Turnbull, saying he treated all former prime ministers with respect.

Asked if Mr Turnbull had treated him with respect, he said: “All of you can make your own judgments.

We’ve been stabbed in back: French ambassador

France’s ambassador to Australia has slammed the Morrison government’s decision to dump a $90 billion submarine contract between the two countries as a “stab in the back”.

In a fiery speech to the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday, Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault accused Australia of “deliberately” keeping France in the dark for “months” or “even years’’ about its plans to dump the attack class submarine program.

Mr Thebault said France had no issue with Australia or the Australian people, but with “certain aspects of the ‘Canberra Bubble’ and its’ ‘Secret city’s practices”.

He said it was “hard fact” on August 3 this year, mere weeks before the submarine contract was scrapped, Australian and French governments officials agreed to a joint communique underlining the “importance” of the program.

“Do you agree on such a joint communique when there is the slightest doubt on something so massive as the official backbone of our co-operation? Maybe on Mars. But not on this planet,” he said.

Boris Johnson greets Scott Morrison as they arrive to attend the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. Picture: AFP

France condemned Australia’s decision in September to abandon the attack class submarine program and instead sign the AUKUS defence pact with the UK and US to build nuclear-powered submarines.

Following the announcement Mr Thebault was recalled to Paris for consultations with his government.

In his first public appearance since returning to Australia, Mr Thebault said the submarine program was “far more than a contract”.

“The attack class program has been intentionally vilified to become an easy scapegoat, to justify a change of footing that was a long time in the making,” he said.

“There was far more at stake than providing submarines, because it was a common agreement on sovereignty, sealed with the transmission of highly classified data, the way it was handled was a stab in the back.

“These are not things which are done between partners, even less between friends.”

Asked about French President Macron’s accusation he was lied to by Mr Morrison, Mr Thebault insisted any form of misleading an ally constituted a lie.

“Maybe there’s a difference between misleading and lying. But, you know, among heads of states and governments, when you mislead a friend and an ally, you lie to him,” he said.

Mr Thebault said there was now a problem of “trust and truth” between Australia and France.

He called on Australia to make “strong substantial proposals” to repair the trust deficit.

“We won’t buy on promises of love. Love is good, but the proof of love is much better,” he said.

“We can rebuild something substantial. But, we start from very far away. Unfortunately.”

Mr Thebault said France would always support Australia, noting the Australians who fought for France in previous world wars.

“We will always stand with Australia and for Australia,” he said.

“We will always be loyal friends of Australia.”

“But, it is up to the Australian government to tell us today, what they mean when they say that they are sincere.”

The diplomatic stoush between Australia and France intensified this week after French President Emmanuel Macron accused Prime Minister Scott Morrison of lying to him, while Mr Morrison said he would not cop “sledging of Australia”.

TURNBULL SIDES WITH MACRON, SAYS PM IS A ‘LIAR’

Scott Morrison has been labelled a “liar” with “shocking conduct” in a blistering attack from predecessor Malcolm Turnbull at Glasgow’s climate summit.

Mr Turnbull, who was invited to attend COP26 alongside the man who ousted him as prime minister in 2018, launched a stunning rant about Mr Morrison’s handling of the French submarine deal.

He accused the PM of lying to President Emmanuel Macron about the $90 billion project, and declared Mr Morrison had “sacrificed” Australia’s reputation by going back on the deal.

“Scott has always had a reputation for telling lies,” Mr Turnbull told reporters in Glasgow overnight.

“This is shocking conduct from Scott Morrison, and he can bluster as much as he likes, but he’s not fooling anyone.”

He added: “I’ll tell you what Scott Morrison has done, he has sacrificed Australia’s honour, Australia’s security and Australia’s integrity.”

It comes as French leader Mr Macron earlier this week accused Mr Morrison of lying about his intentions to scrap the submarine deal.

“I don’t think, I know,” he said when asked if he thought the PM had lied.

But Mr Morrison fired back on Monday.

““I must say that the statements that were made, questioning Australia’s integrity and the slurs that have been placed on Australia … I’m not going to cop sledging of Australia,” he said.

PM: ‘I WON’T COP SLEDGING’

The PM has fired back at Emmanuel Macron, declaring he would not cop his “sledging” of Australia after the French President accused the Prime Minister of lying over his decision to rip up a $90bn submarine contract.

He also tipped a bucket on the efforts of France’s Naval Group to deliver the conventional diesel submarines the federal government had ordered, saying the project had been riddled with delays and cost blowouts and had “few friends” in Australia.

A day after Mr Macron’s extraordinary claims about Mr Morrison’s integrity, the Prime Minister held a press conference at a shipyard in Glasgow to detail his private conversations and text messages with Mr Macron.

“I think the statements that were made questioning Australia’s integrity, and the slurs that have been placed on Australia – not me, I’ve got broad shoulders, I can deal with that – but those slurs, I’m not going to cop sledging of Australia,” he said.

Mr Morrison said that 18 months ago, he became concerned about the “very significant challenges” facing the French contract, also including Naval’s struggles to meet Australia’s content requirements.

He said he raised these issues at “each opportunity” he had to speak with Mr Macron.

In June, Mr Morrison met US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister

Boris Johnson to advance plans for the new AUKUS defence partnership that would give Australia access to America’s nuclear submarine technology.

Scott Morrison arrives for the UN Climate Change Conference COP26. Picture: Getty

Mr Morrison said Mr Macron had sought a meeting in Paris before then, but he waited to visit him for dinner after seeing Mr Biden and Mr Johnson “because I needed to share with him where Australia’s thinking was”.

“I made it very clear that a conventional diesel-powered submarine was not going to meet Australia’s strategic requirements,” the Prime Minister said.

He said he told Mr Macron that his government believed the French boats may not be finished until 2038.

“That would mean that this submarine, when it went in the water, would be obsolete almost the minute it got wet,” Mr Morrison said.

A contract gate that was due to be passed in December last year still had not been met.

In the aftermath of that meeting, Mr Morrison said Mr Macron dispatched a French admiral to Australia as his defence system “engaged in a full-court press” to try and sort out the contract issues.

By September, when the AUKUS plan was locked in, Mr Morrison said he tried to call Mr Macron to directly inform him of his decision to rip up the contract.

But he said the French President did not make himself available, and sent him a text message expressing concern about whether the contract “would be proceeding or not”.

The Prime Minister declared he had no regrets and that Australia’s defence interests had to come first.

Originally published as PM says no apology needed as French anger over axed subs deal deepens