Liz Truss does not need to apologise to French president Emmanuel Macron when she meets him in New York today, the culture secretary has said.
Michelle Donelan insisted that the prime minister is “entitled to make comments on any topic she should see fit to do so”.
It comes after Truss sparked a diplomatic row during the Tory leadership contest when she declined to give a clear answer when asked if the president of France was a “friend or foe”.
Truss landed in New York City in the early hours of this morning for her first foreign trip as prime minister for the UN General Assembly.
She is expected to have her first bilateral meeting in the afternoon with Macron.
Asked if Truss should apologise to him then, Donelan told Times Radio: “Well, absolutely not.
“The prime minister is entitled to make comments on any topic she should see fit to do so. So I don’t think she needs to apologise.
“She’s seen him during the course of the events this weekend and should be meeting him again.”
Despite her controversial comments about Macron, Truss struck a more conciliatory note on the plane last night, stressing the need for a “constructive relationship” combatting Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and unauthorised migrant crossings of the Channel in small boats.
The comments appeared to mark a softening of tone following post-Brexit tensions on Northern Ireland and fishing rights.
However, officials noted the remarks to reporters flying with Truss came on the day of the Queen’s funeral, shortly after a period of subdued politics.
During her campaign to replace Boris Johnson last month, Truss declined to give a clear answer when asked if Macron was a “friend or foe”.
Instead, the former foreign secretary said that the “jury’s out”.
She did not return the verdict during an interview with journalists travelling with her to the summit, but stressed she wants a “constructive relationship with France”.
“Of course that means working together on the issue of migration. 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,” she said.
Her talks with Macron are likely to feature the post-Brexit legislation on Northern Ireland.
She will also meet US president Joe Biden and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.
Truss had been set to talk to Biden in Britain over the weekend as he visited for the Queen’s funeral, but the meeting was postponed.