Perfidious Albion no more? Normalisation of France-UK relations post-Brexit

The paper investigates France’s strategic approach to the relationship with the UK post-Brexit, examining the extent to which its EU-first preference constrains bilateral cooperation. In the immediate aftermath of the referendum, France’s concern over the existential threat that Brexit posed to the Union drove its hardline approach in the negotiations. Brexit also severely strained the Franco-British relationship, which reached a low point amid disputes over the UK’s non-implementation of the EU-UK agreements. Boris Johnson’s leadership style further antagonised his French counterparts. However, the election of Keir Starmer in July 2024 accelerated the normalisation of the UK-France bilateral relationship against the backdrop of an improvement in EU-UK relations since the Windsor Framework Agreement in 2023. Whilst France puts great emphasis on the symbolic dimension of strong bilateral relations with the UK, the paper concludes that prioritisation of EU solidarity continues to define its approach to the UK post-Brexit. Rather than pursuing bilateral deals, France channels cooperation through EU-wide mechanisms, consistent with its doctrine of EU strategic autonomy, including in defence procurement. However, security and defence, notably cooperation on Ukraine, is an area that sits outside of this overarching logic of an EU-first approach unless it pertains to military industrial policy, where France views the UK as a direct competitor. Moreover, since the first EU-UK summit in May 2025, there is some evidence that France has moved to pursue bilateral deals with the UK in the absence of any EU-UK progress, such as on migrant returns. Nevertheless, France continues to view with suspicion what it perceives as the UK’s overtly utilitarian approach to relations with the EU.