May hails Britain’s ties with France in Macron with selfie

Theresa May hailed Britain’s ties with France today as she capped her first summit with President Emmanuel Macron with an Oscars-style selfie at the V&A Museum. 

The Prime Minister posted the picture – apparently taken by Mr Macron at an official reception last night – on Twitter this morning.

The two leaders are surrounded by members of the Franco-British Council who attended last night’s party in an image that mirrors a famous selfie taken by Hollywood stars at the 2014 Oscars.  

Last night’s dinner included people from cultural, sporting, business and science circles to celebrate joint working across the Channel.

Also at the dinner were Yohan Cabaye, the French footballer and Crystal Palace midfielder, and Serge Betsen, former French rugby union and Wasps player, were among those spotted at the reception.

Theresa May posted her selfie with Emmanuel Macron this morning. The leaders are surrounded by members of the British-Franco Council, a think tank which promotes meetings and working relationships across the Channel 

The two leaders are surrounded by guests who attended last night's party in an image that mirrors a famous selfie taken by Hollywood stars at the 2014 Oscars. Pictured are Actor Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Ellen DeGeneres, Bradley Cooper, Peter Nyongío Jr., and (second row, from L) Channing Tatum, Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt, Lupita Nyong'o and Angelina Jolie

The two leaders are surrounded by guests who attended last night’s party in an image that mirrors a famous selfie taken by Hollywood stars at the 2014 Oscars. Pictured are Actor Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Ellen DeGeneres, Bradley Cooper, Peter Nyongío Jr., and (second row, from L) Channing Tatum, Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt, Lupita Nyong’o and Angelina Jolie

Not to be outdone, Boris Johnson also got a picture with the French President at last night's reception in the V&A 

Not to be outdone, Boris Johnson also got a picture with the French President at last night’s reception in the V&A 

Mrs May captioned her pictured: ‘At the V&A last night Emmanuel Macron and I were proud to celebrate the extraordinary values and talented people who link our countries. 

‘More than a century on from the ”entente cordiale” let us celebrate our own ”entente chaleureuse”.’

The entente cordiale was a series of UK-France agreements signed in 1904 that paved the way for the modern relationship between both countries.

Entente chaleureuse translates to English as ‘warm agreement’ and recalls the new Sandhurst Treaty struck at yesterday’s summit.

The Franco-British Council is a think tank that brings together successful people on both sides of the Channel to foster new ideas. 

It was created by former PM David Cameron and ex president Francois Hollande at the 2016 Amiens Summit.  

The selfie group are all members of the Franco-British Council, which posted less successful attempts at taking the picture 

The selfie group are all members of the Franco-British Council, which posted less successful attempts at taking the picture 

The deal covers new UK-France cooperation at Calais, including British spending on security on the French side of the Channel.  

In her speech to the reception, Mrs May said she and the President were joined by people binding together the UK and France.

She said:  ‘Tonight is about even more than the defence of our shared values. It is about celebrating those values and the extraordinary depth of the people to people links between our countries.

‘Here in this Gallery tonight we have partners in business that make up just some of the £71 billion of trade between our countries every year.

‘Partners in science – from joint space programmes to joint working on genomics in the fight against cancer.

Mrs May and Mr Macron attended an official dinner at the V&A Museum last night (pictured) at the end of the 35th annual UK-France summit 

Mrs May and Mr Macron attended an official dinner at the V&A Museum last night (pictured) at the end of the 35th annual UK-France summit 

The two leaders were seen in animated conversation at the dinner, which came after a pub lunch and formal talks at the Sandhurst Military Academy 

The two leaders were seen in animated conversation at the dinner, which came after a pub lunch and formal talks at the Sandhurst Military Academy 

Mrs May and Mr Macron embraced on stage at the Victoria and Albert Museum dinner last night (pictured) 

Mrs May and Mr Macron embraced on stage at the Victoria and Albert Museum dinner last night (pictured) 

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was also in attendance at the dinner and was spotted quaffing champagne during the celebrations (pictured)

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was also in attendance at the dinner and was spotted quaffing champagne during the celebrations (pictured)

‘Partners in culture – for example, with your wonderful offer to bring the Bayeux Tapestry to our shores. The first time in almost a thousand years that people right here in Britain will have the opportunity to see a piece of French art that is so important to both our national stories.

‘Partners in sport – sharing ideas and expertise about major sporting events ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

‘Innovative charity partners like Street League and Sport Dans La Ville – working together to use the power of sport to help young people into jobs and training.

‘Local partners – with mayors and school leaders who have built links across the Channel, like the new twinnings between Guildford and Versailles, and Tetbury and Chatillon.

‘And the leaders of the next generation – including representatives from the young leaders’ programme of the Franco-British Council which launched last year.’ 



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