Jacob Rees-Mogg says “the French are always grumpy in October” because it marks the anniversaries of Trafalgar and Agincourt, battles in which they were defeated by the British.
The Leader of the House of Commons posted the comments on Twitter whilst promoting his podcast, Moggcast, where he discussed the Brexit fishing row between the UK and France.
It comes as France put plans for retaliatory action on hold in the hope that Britain would change its position on fishing rights, according to France’s Europe minister, Clement Beaune.
According to France, the UK only issued half the fishing licences that the French think they should have been given.
‘Late Octoberitus’
Rees-Mogg joked French president Emmanuel Macron is suffering from “late Octoberitis”.
He said: “We have very important anniversaries at the end of October.
“We have Trafalgar Day on the 21st, Agincourt Day on the 25th and the French are always a bit touchy at the end of October and get upset about things.”
He then went on to criticise the French president, suggesting he is against Britain’s Brexit freedoms.
“Macron’s always been hostile to Brexit, he’s always been hostile to the freedoms that we’ve got, he is therefore doing what he can to stir things up a bit but it’s ultimately in our interests to have a sensible relationship with France, with the European Union,” Rees-Mogg said.
Reactions
Human rights law professor Steve Peers called Rees-Mogg a “petty, charmless jingoist” following the post.
And journalist Otto English said “most French people have no more heard of the Battle of Agincourt than the English have heard of the Battle of Castillon”.
One Twitter user said Rees-Mogg’s post is “absolutely appalling from anyone in the public eye, let alone a sitting MP”, adding he had to “check it wasn’t a parody account”.
Another added: “How very English to take pride over wars fought centuries ago, now irrelevant to everyone else’s day. Meanwhile, other countries look forward.”
And Veronique Martin, a French resident in the UK and part of the In Limbo project, said: “French people never think of Agincourt, absolutely never. Nor do they think of Hastings or Austerlitz.
“We’re more interested in the present and the future than the past. We have a prestigious past but it’s what we do now that matters.”
Fishing fuss
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has insisted the UK would not make concessions to France in the row over fishing rights, despite Brexit minister David Frost claiming Britain is open to a “consensual solution” on Thursday.
The Jersey government suggested the French president has in fact put retaliatory plans on hold because of the island’s willingness to reconsider a few boats it previously rejected.
But asked whether he would make a more generous offer to France to settle the dispute, Boris Johnson said: “You ask whether the UK has changed its position on the fishing issue. The answer is ‘no’.”
Related: WATCH: UK issues, result of ‘badly implemented Brexit by Brexiteers’ – EU
