When silhouetted against the symbolism – as French media proudly insist – of King Charles choosing France for his first state visit at month’s end, this weekend is very much an Anglo-French affair. On Friday, Rishi Sunak and seven ministers visited Paris – a first for five frosty years – for a Franco-British summit with president Macron and relevant ministers on everything from energy policy, immigration, defence and security to Ukraine and the Asia-Pacific. Saturday saw France slaughter England at rugby in the worst ever defeat at Twickenham. More awkwardly for France and Macron, this is also the weekend of further revelations about next stages in the Aukus deal.
The Aukus security pact for the Indo-Pacific between Australia, the UK and US was announced in September 2021 after Canberra cancelled ‘the contract of the century’ with France to supply diesel-powered submarines and up-graded to UK or US built nuclear-powered ones. Other than the financial loss (€56 billion; £50 billion), it was a heavy blow to French pride and prestige. Portrayed
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