The French foreign ministry says US envoy Charles Kushner should be blocked from access to the government, after he failed to explain comments about an alleged “rise” of violence in France.

Kushner, father of Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, had been summoned to meet French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday evening, but he did not attend.

Instead, he said he had a prior engagement and sent a deputy from the US embassy.

This prompted an angry response from the ministry, which accused Kushner of an “apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements of the ambassadorial mission” and said Barrot had requested Kushner “no longer be allowed direct access” to government ministers.