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French foreign affairs minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the decision by Australia to scrap the £43 billion arrangement with Paris was a “stab in the back”. “We had established a trusting relationship with Australia, and this trust was betrayed,” he fumed. The Frenchman said he was “angry and very bitter about this break-up.” Mr Le Drian added that he had spoken to his Australian counterpart days ago and was given no indication of the move. Britain and the US will now help Australia to build nuclear-powered submarines, as part of an agreement announced by Boris Johnson, President Joe Biden and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison. The newly formed strategic alliance was forged to challenge an increasingly provocative China. The three leaders last night said: “We will leverage expertise from the United States and the United Kingdom, building on the two countries’ submarine programmes to bring an Australian capability into service at the earliest achievable date.” The deal comes at a time when President Biden is challenging Nato allies to be more robust with their stances towards Bejing. As a result of this new pact, Canberra will abandon its submarine-building deal with France. Losing the lucrative agreement has left the French government seething. Mr Le Drian and French defence minister Florence Parly said the new AUKUS deal was a breach of trust between France and Australia. In a statement, they said: “The decision is contrary to the letter and spirit of cooperation that prevailed between France and Australia. Former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, a centre-right challenger to President Emmanuel Macron, also lashed out at Canberra. The Franco-Australian deal has been forced to face significant flaws over the years. There were significant tensions between French shipbuilder Naval Group and Australia over skyrocketing costs, design changes and local industry involvement in the construction of 12 diesel Shortfin Barracuda submarines. Canberra will now receive nuclear-driven submarines, which naval experts say can stay underwater for longer, move faster and are considered to be almost “undiscoverable”. The UK has announced the new deal as one of the most significant collaborations in recent years. President Biden has praised Britain’s involvement as part of a trend of European nations playing a greater role in the Indo-Pacific.