Londoner's Diary: Emmanuel Macron on Theresa May - entente cordiale?

In today's Diary: Macron on Theresa and Boris | Anna Soubry in mourning for the EU | Irish ambassador on Trump | Emma Thompson at BAFTA | Alastair Campbell at the New European | Baby from a Candy | Rosawhat Pike
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22 March 2017

Mon dieu! French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, pictured, may be flying high in the polls — he is just edging ahead of Marine Le Pen — but what’s going to happen if he wins and has to look Theresa May in the eye?

The Londoner was sitting in our usual first-class lounge on a quick jaunt this week and flicked through this month’s Monocle. In it Macron addresses his fellow politicos across La Manche.

He starts his critique of the UK with Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson but saves his most savage judgments for May and her plans for Brexit. “It’s the British who will lose the most. You cannot enjoy rights in Europe if you are not a member — otherwise it will fall apart,” he says.

“Boris Johnson enjoys giving flamboyant speeches but has no strategic vision; the turmoil he created the day after Brexit proves it. Nigel Farage and Mr Johnson are responsible for this crime: they sailed the ship into battle and jumped overboard at the moment of crisis.

He doesn’t spare our new PM either: “Theresa May has handled it but what has been happening since then? On the geopolitical level as well as on the financial, realignment and submission to the US. What is going to happen is not ‘taking back control’: it’s servitude.”

Macron also lays into US President Donald Trump. “I am not going to be hostile towards Mr Trump,” he says, before becoming hostile. “His comments on Europe demonstrate that he has no sense of history.”

We hope Macron doesn’t have any trouble crossing borders the next time he pays us, or the US, a visit.

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Good to see that even Tony Blair’s political inner circle is following the hot new London trend and bagging editors’ seats. Alastair Campbell, formerly Mirror political editor and Blair’s spin doctor, is to join The New European, the Remainers’ newspaper of choice, as its editor-at-large. He has written columns for the title so he has some experience with the team but it dashes any hope of a religion correspondent: he doesn’t do God, after all.

Irish eyes get ready to smile at Trump

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To the Irish Embassy for a well-earned Guinness at its annual St Patrick’s Day party. The Irish Ambassador to Britain, Daniel Mulhall, leaves these shores this summer to become Dublin’s man in Washington, and he assures us he doesn’t fear Donald Trump snubbing him. “I will make him shake,” said Mulhall, referring to The Donald’s awkward encounter with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “I want him to tweet me at some stage and say ‘he’s a good dude’ but I want it in capital letters,” he laughed. “I was thinking of changing my Twitter handle to @therealdanielmulhall but it’s not allowed. I’m hoping he might retweet my poetry quotes”. A bit optimistic, as the Pres may not have read a book since sixth grade.

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Quote of the day: ‘I didn’t want this job... My wife told me I’m supposed to do this’

After accusations that he is the weakest US Secretary of State in history, former oil man Rex Tillerson says he didn’t really want to do the foreign affairs job anyway. Ivanka Trump has met with more heads of state than Tillerson.

Street style is alive and kicking in the Ghetto

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Emma Thompson and her daughter Gaia Romilly channelled Bob the Builder with double dungarees at a party and screening for The Ghetto Film School at Bafta on Piccadilly last night. It was hosted by James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and 20th Century Fox CEO Stacey Snider.

Model turned actress Lily Cole told us she was enjoying rehearsals for The Philanthropist, directed by Simon Callow at Trafalgar Studios next month. “It’s a piss-take of bourgeois society, with some depraved characters,” she said. Is it easy to get into character? Lily laughed. “It’s fun,” she said.

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Hats off to Christian Candy. He and his brother, fellow property mogul Nick, have been busy with High Court investigations of bullying, blackmail and extortion, which they deny. But yesterday Christian’s wife, Emily Crompton, posted a photo on Instagram of her with her new baby girl, Kaia Sienna Rose Candy. Thank heavens they didn’t follow the tax exile trend set with the twins they had in 2013: they named them Isabella Monaco Evanthia and Cayman Charles Wolf.

As Brexit day approaches...

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Theresa May will send some Tory MPs into mourning when she triggers Article 50 next Wednesday. Remainer Anna Soubry told The Londoner last night that she’ll be wearing a black armband in grief when the two-year Brexit countdown begins.

“I was thinking about putting on an armband — a black armband,” Soubry said. In mourning? “Yes. I accept that we are leaving the EU but I still think it’s a profound mistake.”

Dave Benett/Getty Images

Soubry was speaking at the launch of The Women Who Shaped Politics, by Sky presenter Sophy Ridge, pictured with fellow presenter Kay Burley, held at the Blue Boar in Westminster. Soubry later rowed back on the idea.

Burley rushed off air to go to the party, and talked up her own credentials as an MP. “There’s never enough women in politics,” she said. “I’d love to go into politics, I think I’d do a great job.”

The Londoner hopes Sky will not be the limit for our Kay.

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Tweet of the day: “Ivanka may have security clearance and an office but her made-in-China coats still aren’t shifting in Hackney TK Maxx and we’ll wear anything.”

Food writer Debora Robertson says there’s a pile of Ivanka Trump’s wares going spare. Sad.

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At least she got the Ros part right

Kazakh-born businesswoman Goga Ashkenazi, above left, was in LA last night for a MaxMara party held in honour of actress Rosamund Pike, above right. Ashkenazi, owner of the Vionnet couture label, was thrilled to meet her. “Hey world,” she wrote on Instagram. “About last night with beautiful elegant Rosalind Pike.” Erm... “Rosamund,” as someone pointed out. She later noticed the error.

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Ban of the day: Canadian diplomats have been asked to stop using cardboard cutouts of Justin Trudeau after “inappropriate” photos were taken with “him”. Cancel the Madame Tussauds waxwork.

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