Downing Street silent as political leaders back Macron for French president

Downing Street is refusing to back the French centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron in his runoff against the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

Theresa May invited Macron to Downing Street during his campaign visit to the UK in February, prompting criticism from the Front National leader.

But the prime minister’s official spokesman would not be drawn on the outcome of the first round of the French election, despite the willingness of all the other mainstream parties in Britain to back Macron. Asked if May would engage with Le Pen, the spokesman said there was a “longstanding policy of not commenting on ongoing elections in other countries”.

Most of the French presidential candidates defeated in the first round have urged their supporters to back Macron against Le Pen, with the notable exception of the far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has said he will consult his supporters before deciding who to back.

The shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, said Labour was backing Macron. She said: “French voters face a stark choice in this election, but it’s clear that only one of the remaining candidates is offering an inclusive and tolerant vision of the country’s future. Heading into the second round, we hope that the ultimate result will be a victory for the politics of optimism over the politics of division and fear.”

Earlier the leaders of the Greens, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National party had all backed Macron, who topped the poll in the first round of the French election with 23.8%. Senior figures in Ukip have spoken out against Macron, though have not openly backed Le Pen, who came second on 21.5% and will go through to the final round against Macron on 7 May. A Ukip spokesman said the party was not commenting on the result.

Jonathan Bartley, the Green Party co-leader, said: “It’s entirely up to the French people how they vote in the second round of the presidential election, but when a fascist is on the ballot paper, we’d encourage everyone to rally around the alternative.

“Voters in Austria and the Netherlands have shown recently that the rise of far right is not inevitable. We stand with our friends in France in resisting the politics of hate.”

The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, was the first British political leader to back Macron. In a tweet last night, he said that it was “time to turn the tide”.

The SNP international affairs spokesman, Alex Salmond, praised Macron’s “extraordinary achievement”. He said: “All progressives and democrats across Europe will be wishing Emmanuel Macron well in his runoff contest against the forces of the far right. On the basis of this weekend’s results, France and Europe are reason for hope and expectation.”

The SNP’s leader in the Commons, Angus Robertson, also congratulated Macron as a “pro-EU victor”.

Ukip’s former leader Nigel Farage, meanwhile, attacked Macron’s first-round victory speech as “vacuous”.

Leave.EU, which was backed by Ukip’s former funder Arron Banks, said those supporting Macron were members of the “sneering elite”.