Boris Johnson dismissed Macron as ‘Putin’s lickspittle’, claims ex-comms chief

Guto Harri recalls former prime minister’s anger at the French president and bond with Ukraine’s leader

Boris Johnson was not happy about Emmanuel Macron’s criticism of the UK’s response to the Ukraine refugee crisis (PA)

Boris Johnson dismissed Emmanuel Macron as “Putin’s lickspittle” after the French president criticised the then-prime minister’s response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis, according to a former leading No 10 official.

Mr Johnson also called Mr Macron a “four-letter word that begins with c”, former Downing Street director of communication Guto Harri said in his podcast Unprecedented.

“When the British press was giving the British Government a hard time over our response to the refugee crisis, Macron turbocharged it by criticising Boris pretty directly and his words were all over the front page of The Guardian,” he recalled.