It's time for the French to 'prenez un grip,' says Boris Johnson

published 22 September 2021

Well, it wasn't "le slap," but surely French President Emmanuel Macron will feel it all the same.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared some uniquely-targeted remarks outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, in which he appeared to mock the French for their outrage over the submarine deal between the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, Bloomberg reports.

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Paris has been stewing over the three-way defense pact since its announcement last week, calling the new partnership — which renders void an existing deal between France and Australia — a "stab in the back." On Friday, the French ambassadors to both the U.S. and Australia were recalled at the behest of Macron, a decision Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said to be justified by the "exceptional gravity" of the AUKUS announcement.

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Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.

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