Emmanuel Macron’s election victory could herald a thawing in his frosty relationship with the UK – but a new entente cordiale is unlikely anytime soon.

The war in Ukraine shows the need for unity among Western allies, but relations have rarely been so poor in modern times.

Mr Macron has privately called Boris Johnson a “clown” and “knucklehead”, while the Prime Minister told him to “Donnez-moi un break”.

The French president pushed for the hardest line from Brussels during the years of the Brexit negotiations.

Mr Macron was motivated as much by domestic as European concerns. On the campaign trail, he declared that the election was a “referendum on Europe” as he warned that Marine Le Pen was pursuing Frexit by stealth.

He used Britain, and its painful divorce from the EU, as a cautionary tale for stay-at-home voters or those tempted to plump for his hard-Right rival.

With Ms Le Pen now vanquished, Mr Macron no longer needs to make an example of the UK for a vote to leave he said was based on “lies and false promises”.

The row over post-Brexit fishing licences, which saw Royal Navy and French ships face off as fishermen blockaded the port of St Helier in Jersey, has been largely resolved.

Mr Macron accused Britain of withholding licences and threatened EU legal action, while one minister suggested Paris could cut off energy supplies to Jersey. 

With the presidential election over, Mr Macron no longer needs to show he is fighting for French fishermen to stop them voting Le Pen.