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Four French resistance fighters will receive honorary MBEs the government has announced as Boris Johnson prepares to hold talks with Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street.
The French president will be in London to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle’s “Appel”, his BBC broadcast to occupied France following the Nazi invasion in 1940.
The discussions will take place against a backdrop of continued wrangles over Brexit, including over the rights of EU states to fish in British waters after the transition period ends in December.
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At the same time, however, Mr Johnson is under pressure to secure ‘air bridges’ with other European countries to offer Britons a chance of a summer holiday abroad this summer.
Downing Street has made clear that Mr Macron will be exempt from the UK’s controversial quarantine rules, as representatives from other countries undertaking work in the UK are not required to self-isolate for two weeks.
It is understood Mr Johnson and Mr Macron are expected to hold talks lasting around 45 minutes in No 10.
On the agenda will be the coronavirus crisis, alongside other issues.
They are also expected to view a series of artefacts – including letters – documenting General de Gaulle’s time in London and his relationship with Winston Churchill and watch a flypast by the Red Arrows and their French equivalent, La Patrouille de France.
During his visit to the UK, Mr Macron will also meet the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House.
The honorary MBEs are in recognition of the men’s roles during the Second World War.
Mr Johnson said the four surviving “Compagnons” of the Order of Liberation – Edgard Tupet-Thome, 100, Daniel Bouyjou-Cordier, 99, Hubert Germain, 99, and Pierre Simonet, 98 – will receive the honours as a tribute to their “courage and sacrifice in defending us and the whole world from fascism”.
The awards are due be presented at a ceremony in France later this year.
