Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been forced to explain the circumstances leading up to the cancellation of the AU$90 billion submarine deal with France after extensive criticism from commentators and media outlets. French President Emmanuel Macron on the weekend accused Morrison of lying to him around the circumstances related to the scrapping of the Future Submarines Program with French defence contractor Naval Group. In response, Morrison read a comprehensive statement outlining the situation leading up to the cancellation of the project, saying the French government were aware that Australia was considering alternative options. “There was a lot of issues in relation to delays in the project and, of course, the costs. These were matters that we raised quite regularly, and indeed I raised with President Macron at each opportunity when we either spoke over the phone or we had our bilateral meetings going over a number of years,” he …