Liz Truss launches charm offensive ahead of talks with French President Emmanuel Macron

Liz Truss has launched a charm offensive ahead of a meeting with Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.

During the Tory leadership campaign, Ms Truss claimed the “jury is out” on whether the French President was Britain’s “friend or foe”.

But hours before she was due to meet Mr Macron, the Prime Minister resisted the urge to condemn the Elysee Palace over French authorities’ handling of the Channel migrant crisis.

A record number of migrants have made the perilous journey across the Dover Strait this year, with more than 29,700 arriving so far compared with 28,526 in the whole of 2021.

Asked by the Mirror what help she would request from the French Premier to help tackle the crisis, she insisted: “I want to have a constructive relationship with France - of course that means working together on the issue of migration.”

Ms Truss had said the "jury is out" over whether Mr Macron is a "friend or foe" (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

But, speaking as she flew to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, she sidestepped what she would ask of Mr Macron, instead highlighting other areas where she wanted cooperation, including backing Ukraine.

“There are a number of other issues we need to work together on, whether it’s energy security, whether it’s other issues relating to our relationship with the EU - but most importantly, it’s ensuring that Putin does not succeed in Ukraine.

“That’s what I’ll be discussing with President Macron.”

When Ms Truss was Foreign Secretary and competing for the Tory leadership she claimed the "jury is out" when asked if Mr Macron was a friend or foe.

The Tory hierarchy have played down the comments about Mr Macron as a joke (Getty Images)

It drew loud applause from Tory party members at a hustings event in Norwich.

But David Lammy, Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary, voiced his disbelief at the remark about an ally while there is war in Europe.

He said: "At a time when the West must stay united in the face of Russian attempts to divide us, the fact the Foreign Secretary has chosen to needlessly insult one of our closest allies shows a terrible and worrying lack of judgement."

But the Tory hierarchy played down the comments claiming it was a joke.

And Boris Johnson, Prime Minister at the time, also intervened describing Mr Macron as a "tres bon buddy" of the UK.