Liz Truss denies Emmanuel Macron's claims that Britain wants to join new European community

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said that the UK has not expressed any interest in entering a wider European political community, as suggested by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Questioned by Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat, Ms Truss said that the UK had not agreed to such a proposal.

“That is not true.

“I don’t know the exact words that President Macron has used, but we have not agreed to that.”

She said that the aims and ambitions of the UK were to “strengthen” Nato, as well as stressing the role of the G7 as a “key alliance”.

Mr Tugendhat asked her: “You don’t buy into his political and economic community?

Ms Truss replied: “No.”

Macron previously said he was in favour of a new type of "political European community" that would allow countries outside of the European Union to join "European core values."

Macron also reiterated at an EU event in Strasbourg that any steps to allow Ukraine to join the EU would require "in reality several years, and without doubt several decades."

During the meeting in the French city, he said: "This new European organisation would allow democratic European nations adhering to our core values to find a new space for political cooperation, and security.

"Joining it would not prejudge future membership of the European Union, and it would not be closed to those who have left the latter."

He also said that Britain had been invited to join the group.

Liz Truss
House of Commons

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President of France Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi, during a 'quad' meeting at the G7 summit
Stefan Rousseau