France has been hit with a wave of fury from Britain after Emmanuel Macron was accused of "disgracefully" withholding key information on the outbreak of meningitis for 48 hours.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting told MPs that the French authorities had informed the UK Health Security Agency of a case of the infectious disease on March 14.
However, officials in Paris had been aware of the case detected in an exchange student from the University of Kent on March 12.
Reform UK's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf led the charge against France, comparing the situation to the ongoing small boats crisis.
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"It is a tragedy and a disgrace the French withheld information about an outbreak of meningitis from Britain," Mr Yusuf told GB News.
"But it's no surprise. The Tories and Labour have paid them £700million to stop the boats, and they keep coming in record numbers."
Conservative Ex-Immigration Minister Kevin Foster added: "People across the UK will be utterly fed up with the failures of President Macron's government, which end up costing money and lives in the UK.
"Polls show many in France are as fed up with his failings as we are. We all look forward to the day France has fresh leadership that is able to take the lead."
Officials in Paris had been aware of the case detected in an exchange student from the University of Kent on March 12
|PA
Paris knew about the case after the student, who was subsequently admitted to hospital, returned to France.
The UK became aware of the first case on Friday, with a British student suffering from symptoms of the infection.
Despite renewed fury being levied at France, the UK is also coming under fire for its slow response.
Officials initially found "no apparent link" between the two cases, instead waiting until Sunday evening to inform the public of the outbreak.
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Meningitis transmission requires sustained close proximity rather than brief encounters | GETTYTwo young people, a sixth-form pupil and a student at the University of Kent, had died by the time of the announcement.
Ex-Health Minister and former Tory MP Maria Caulfield told GB News: "Of course, France should be cooperating more effectively on both health and immigration.
"But the UK Government could have done a lot more in both cases. If UKHSA had contacted the nightclub earlier, the spread could have been better contained."
Meningitis is defined as a contagious infection of the protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.
The outbreak has caused queues for treatment at the University of Kent | PAThe infection spreads as a result of asymptomatic carriers, most commonly infecting babies, children and young adults.
The strain detected in Kent is known as meningitis B, a serious type of the bacterial infection.
Officials fear the outbreak started to spread at a popular Canterbury nightclub two weeks ago, with at least two patients beginning to show symptoms following a visit on March 6.
The total number of cases detected in Kent now stands at 20, with both the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University being impacted.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting set out a timeline for the outbreak on Tueaday
| PAMore than 2,500 students have since been prescribed antibiotics, with the UKHSA subsequently labelling the situation as a "national incident".
Setting out the timeline for events, Mr Streeting said: “UKHSA was notified about the first case on Friday, March 13.
"In line with established protocol, health officials began identifying and tracing the patient’s immediate close contacts who were offered prophylactic antibiotics as a matter of urgency.
“On Saturday, UKHSA were in touch with the University of Kent to ensure they had the necessary support, advice, and guidance, and to establish where the patient was living.
“Also on Saturday, the French authorities alerted UKHSA to a second confirmed case in France from an individual who had attended the University of Kent.
Meningitis outbreak spreads to SECOND university as health officials issue urgent update | PA"Both cases lived in private accommodation, and at that stage, there was no apparent link between the two."
He added: “At 7pm on Saturday evening, hospitals reported that a number of severely unwell young adults were presenting with symptoms consistent with meningococcal disease.
“Contact-tracing of these individuals began immediately and continued into Sunday morning, March 15. All those traced were offered precautionary antibiotics.”
A spokesman for the French health ministry also said: “On March 12, 2026, French health authorities were informed of a case of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in a person returning from England, where an IMD outbreak is currently occurring in Canterbury.
“The patient has been hospitalised and is in stable condition. All necessary management measures have been taken to limit the risk of transmission.
“Individuals who had close contact with the patient have been informed of the situation and offered prophylactic antibiotic treatment.”
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