Brexit group compares Macron win to WWII ‘surrender’

Leave.EU, the pro-Brexit pressure group, has compared Emmanuel Macron’s presidential election victory to France’s ‘surrender’ in the Second World War.

The group, set up by former Ukip leader Nigel Farage in the run-up to last year’s EU referendum, made a series of controversial posts to its Twitter page.

"The French rolled over in 1940. This time they've saved Germany the fuel and bullets," said one tweet, accompanied by a picture of a newspaper with the headline ‘France Surrenders’.

Another tweet said "R.I.P France", while a third carried a link to a video of the president-elect walking out to his victory celebration. "Macron walks out in Paris to EU anthem. Says it all - more integration, more devastation", it read.

Mr Macron is strongly pro-European, while Marine Le Pen, whom Mr Farage supported in the election campaign, had called for a referendum on France leaving the EU.

During a TV debate before the second round of voting, Ms Le Pen told Mr Macron that whatever happened in the election, a woman would be running France - either herself or Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor.

In her post-defeat speech yesterday, Ms Le Pen said the election had been a referendum over nationalism and globalisation.

In an interview with America’s Fox News in the aftermath, Mr Farage said: "[Marine Le Pen] will build a base from which she will win in 2022."

Meanwhile on his personal twitter page, he wrote: "A giant deceit has been voted for today. Macron will be Juncker's puppet." Jean-Claude Juncker is the EU Commission President.