AUKUS: Boris Johnson takes to Franglais to chide Emmanuel Macron

Boris Johnson suggests there’s no chance of France joining AUKUS, telling President Macron to ‘prenez un grip’ (get a grip).

Boris Johnson indicated last night that there was no chance of France joining a new military pact, telling President Macron to “donnez-moi un break” amid French anger about the deal.

The prime minister admitted he was “taken aback” by the response from Macron after the UK and the US, two of his country’s closest allies, and Australia, negotiated a deal, known as AUKUS, behind his back.

But, as well as chiding Macron in Franglais, the prime minister suggested that AUKUS could be expanded to form a powerful alliance on other security topics – without French involvement.

Speaking in Washington, Johnson said: “I just think it’s time for some of our dearest friends around the world to ‘prenez un grip’ about this and ‘donnez-moi un break’. Because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security.

“It’s three very like-minded allies standing shoulder to shoulder creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology. It’s not exclusive. It’s not trying to shoulder anybody out. It’s not adversarial towards China for instance.

“It is there to intensify links and friendship between three countries in a way that will be beneficial for things that we believe in.” Johnson said these were the protection of democracy, freedom, human rights, equalities and the rule of law.

Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson at the Elysee Presidential Palace in 2019. Picture: Getty Images.

Under AUKUS, which was announced last week, Australia, the UK and the US have formed a security pact to develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines, adding to the western military presence in the Pacific region. However, the deal involved Australia cancelling a $90bn order for 12 diesel-electric submarines from France.

Speaking before he flew back to the UK, the prime minister said that “everybody has been a bit taken aback by the strength of the French reaction and we all want to reach out to Paris”.

In an attempt to explain why Australia gave France minimal notice, and Macron had reacted so badly, Johnson said: “It’s a very human thing to delay the frank conversation until the last possible moment. I don’t know if anyone has been in that situation in their emotional life but it’s very human to put it off.”

The prime minister made clear that there was no chance of France being invited to join the trio. “This is not an exclusive thing,” he said, emphasising the importance of larger multinational groupings such as the G7, but added that in those settings “you couldn’t do the full sharing of the technology which underpins AUKUS”. Johnson added that AUKUS “has its own logic”.

Yesterday President Biden and Macron spoke for the first time since the pact was announced, and Biden admitted that a diplomatic crisis could have been averted if Paris had been informed earlier. The two presidents said that they would meet in Europe next month, and Macron said Philippe Etienne, the French ambassador to Washington, who was recalled over the row, would return to his post next week.

Yet in a development that threatens to further inflame tensions with the French, it is understood that in their Oval Office meeting yesterday (Wednesday) Johnson and Biden discussed expanding AUKUS to cover related security matters, in effect establishing it as one of the world’s main alliances alongside the G7, the G20 and Five Eyes.

They discussed collaboration on human rights, open markets, deterrence and global stability. Regular trilateral summits are possible, although the talks are some way off that point at present.

During the 90-minute meeting, the pair are said to have shared their astonishment at the French reaction. Both leaders said they believed that the Australians had given the French adequate warning, something which Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, is also said to be adamant about.

Biden and Johnson discussed what more they might be able to do to reassure the French government that it was still seen as an important partner, especially in the Pacific region. But senior sources suggested that French outrage was partly directed at itself for not having realised that three close allies were negotiating in secret. Some linked the public anger from members of Macron’s government to the election that is due in seven months.

The Times