France has formally rejected Boris Johnson’s proposal for British forces to conduct joint border patrols around Calais to deter migrants from crossing the Channel. According to Le Monde, he wrote: “We have always accepted to examine and discuss in good faith British proposals of reinforcement and cooperation. Johnson’s letter to Macron was sent publicly as a tweet in time for the front pages of UK newspapers and Macron had not received the letter before Johnson tweeted it. The letter sparked fury in France and a diplomatic spat between the countries, with Macron reportedly calling Johnson a “clown” with “the attitude of a vulgarian”. At a press conference after the tweet, the French president said: “I spoke two days ago with prime minister Johnson in a serious way.

Source: The Guardian December 03, 2021 00:52 UTC