Australia has made a “huge mistake” by cancelling a major submarine contract with France in favour of a deal with the UK and US, the French ambassador to the country has said.
French envoy Jean-Pierre Thebault said on Saturday that the original arms agreement between the French and Australian governments was supposed to be based “on trust, mutual understanding and sincerity.”
It came after France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia in a dramatic escalation of diplomatic tensions over the new AUKUS alliance.
Meanwhile, the UK government is holding urgent talks with senior figures in the energy industry to discuss a sudden rise in wholesale gas prices which has led to a CO2 shortage, potentially risking the food supply chain.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng insisted on Saturday that the UK’s gas supplies were stable, while the chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association warned that the CO2 shortage was “undoubtedly a crisis”.
