Populist French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has mocked Theresa May for being “good at getting it wrong” after the UK prime minister failed to meet her, but did host her main rival.
In an interview with former UKIP leader Nigel Farage for radio station LBC, Ms. Le Pen criticised Mrs. May for inviting Emmanuel Macron for talks at Downing Street, describing him as “the opposite of what Brexit stands for”.
She said the prime minister would eventually be forced to meet with her if she wins the presidential election in a couple of months.
Mr. Farage responded: “Well, that’s true and actually with Donald Trump, Number 10 wanted nothing to do with Donald Trump whatsoever because they thought he would lose and when you win, if you win then that would certainly change.”
Ms. Le Pen added: “She is good at getting it wrong but this is rather reassuring!”
She did, however, praise Mrs. May for “sticking to the will of the people” by implementing Brexit, and said Parliament’s acceptance of the vote was “remarkable and honourable”.
“Great Britain has demonstrated that there is a democratic choice and I believe that the way in which parliament respects the will of the British people is quite remarkable and honourable,” she said.
“I say this quite easily because in 2005, the French said no to the draft constitution in the referendum and left and right leaders joined forces to deny the popular will.
“So this is a signal conveyed by Britain to all the peoples who wish to restore sovereignty and freedom.
“And in spite of the threats, in spite of the blackmail, the leaders are sticking to the will of the people.”
Even so, she still turned her fire on the prime minister for inviting her centrist rival Emmanuel Macron over for talks, saying: “I find it difficult to understand the consistency of the ideas and convictions in this approach of hers because Mr. Macron is of course, the key salesperson of globalisation.
“He is for everything; deregulation of everything, opening up of borders, mass immigration.”
Ms. Le Pen has previously offered the hand of friendship to Theresa May, along with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Polish leader Jarosław Kaczyński, saying she would work alongside them to “dismantle” the European Union.
“Certainly we will not agree on everything,” she said, “but after that, each country is free and sovereign to defend their own interests.”
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