While politicians in the EU welcomed Emmanuel Macron's election victory as a pro-European decision and a rejection of right-wing nationalism, Boris Johnson was more sober.

The British Prime Minister refrained from an interpretation and only congratulated the French President on his second term.

He looks forward to continuing to work with France - "one of our closest and most important allies".

Jochen Buchsteiner

Political correspondent in London.

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Many in London see relations with Paris at a low point, comparable to the 1960s when President Charles de Gaulle prevented Britain from joining the EEC.

Even today, the relationship suffers from "Europe", albeit under the opposite sign.

Anger at statement about AstraZeneca

The London government sees Macron as the harshest critic of Brexit – and of the prime minister himself. In recent years, Great Britain has quarreled with no other European country as much as with its neighbor to the south.

Macron not only took the toughest position in the dispute over the Brexit treaty.

Under his leadership, the conflict over fishing rights also escalated - to the point of sending armed ships to Jersey.

London also accused him of not countering migration from France across the English Channel energetically enough, and quite a few grudge Macron for dismissing the British vaccine from AstraZeneca as “quasi-effective” at the height of the race for the corona vaccine.

Most recently, Macron's often uncompromising course was explained with his election campaign.

In this respect, there is now relief in London.

Macron no longer has to demonstrate internal leadership or score points with fishermen who traditionally lean towards Marine Le Pen, they say.

In terms of foreign policy, the overlaps with Macron are greater than with Le Pen anyway.

Macron - the strongest representative of the EU?

Some Brexiteers sympathize with their EU-critical attitude;

recently, some had quietly rejoiced that an election victory for Le Pen could bring the British closer to the Germans again.

But Macron is considered more reliable on the major geostrategic issues, from the common Iran policy to action against Russia.

While many would like Macron to be more involved against Moscow, he is seen as the better ally than Le Pen, who is perceived in London as a "Putin understander".

Overall, Johnson sees the French President after his re-election (and also in comparison to Olaf Scholz, who is looking for a step) as the strongest representative of the EU.

The tendency of both to make grand gestures is likely to occasionally lead to a clash of egos in the future.