Sunak and Macron joke on Twitter ahead of England-France clash

Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron both got into the footballing spirit ahead of England’s World Cup quarter-final tie with France.

In a light-hearted exchange on Twitter, the French president asked the Prime Minister if he would support France in the semi-final if his side emerged victorious.

“Dear Rishi Sunak, looking forward to the game tonight,” Mr Macron tweeted.

“If Les Bleus win (they will!), you’ll wish us luck in the semi-final… right?”

Mr Sunak responded a few minutes later, tweeting: “Hopefully I won’t have to. But you’ve got a deal.

“Look forward to you getting behind the Three Lions in the next round.”

The exchange is the latest sign of improved relations between London and Paris, after Mr Sunak’s short-lived predecessor Liz Truss prompted outcry during the Conservative leadership contest by refusing to say whether Mr Macron was a “friend or foe”.

While the pair appeared to patch things up later, with Ms Truss attending a meeting of Mr Macron’s European Political Community summit in Prague and labelling him a “friend”, the remarks did little to ease the post-Brexit tensions between the two countries which have also been fuelled by rows about migrant Channel crossings.

Mr Sunak has pursued a more positive relationship with France and Europe since taking office, recently describing the need to “reinvigorate” the UK’s relationship with the neighbouring continent even as negotiations about the post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland continue.

The Prime Minister met with Mr Macron at the Cop27 climate talks in Egypt at the start of November, with a fresh agreement on tackling small boat crossings coming soon after.