August 02, 2018
French president will be tough to win over but could influence other EU states to back UK plan
May prepares for talks with Macron that could make or break Brexit plan
Theresa May’s hopes of prising away Emmanuel Macron from the rest of the European Union to sign up to her Chequers vision for Brexit looked tenuous on the eve of the pair’s crunch talks.
But while senior Whitehall sources warned that the French president would be tough to win over, they suggested that if May were successful his influence could prove vital in swaying the rest of the EU27 member states.
The prime minister has cut short her summer break in Italy to try to convince Macron, who is seen by British officials as the biggest obstacle to her plans, to soften his approach to Brexit.
One Whitehall source claimed that France had so far been the most “disobliging” of the EU27 in multilateral discussions.
The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, is viewed as unlikely to shift from his rigid approach to negotiations unless there is consensus among the most powerful EU states.
One cabinet source told the Guardian: “The French just say no to everything and by a mile are the most difficult ones, so if May can make progress with him that would have a disproportionately positive affect on negotiations.”
A second minister suggested Friday’s talks could be critical. “The reality is that France could be the great unblocker and can help get negotiations back on track,” the minister said. “A lot hangs on this meeting.”
The prime minister will become the first foreign leader to meet Macron at his official summer home, Fort de Brégançon, in the south of France. It will be the first time that she has spoken with him about Brexit since she struck her Chequers deal.
Although the French government has not entirely rejected the UK’s latest plan, they are understood to have deep misgivings and to have raised concerns about security cooperation, the Galileo space project and financial services in particular.
The UK has launched a diplomatic offensive, with the business secretary, Greg Clark, the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, and the Brexit secretary, Dominic Raab, all meeting their French counterparts in the last week. It is part of the strategy to go over the heads of the European commission and engage with national leaders directly.
Ministers believe the Germans are more open to softening the EU’s approach, with Angela Merkel understood to be prepared to give Barnier more freedom to do a deal after a constructive meeting with May last month. However, the German chancellor has her own domestic problems to focus on.
A senior Whitehall source said: “The Germans are actually quite clear that they want to do a deal. May’s discussions with Merkel have been constructive. The Dutch have also been helpful.
“It’s the French that regularly pour cold water on everything that the British want. There’s no other nation anywhere near as disobliging. So this meeting is very important.”
On Thursday, a spokesman for the French president said Macron had full trust in Barnier and supported his reserved response to the UK plan. He added: “[Friday’s meeting] is not a substitute for the negotiations led by Michel Barnier.”
But UK ministers believe that if Macron followed Merkel in softening his approach, then Barnier, who takes his instructions from the EU governments, could adopt a more flexible approach.
“If they say we’re all happy with Chequers and we can live with it, if there’s a consensus among France and Germany in particular, that might move him [Barnier],” said one cabinet source. “If there’s no consensus we won’t see any movement, even if individual countries are sounding positive.”
A No 10 spokesman denied the prime minister would attempt to persuade Macron to break from the shared EU position. “Its a point of view but it’s not one that we would subscribe to,” he said. However, multiple government sources suggested that was Britain’s strategy.
Lord Ricketts, who was the UK ambassador to France from 2012 to 2016, told the BBC he was pessimistic that Macron would want to break ranks, saying: “I don’t see why there is any chance of that. First of all, he does not believe in softening it. He is a passionate pro-European.
“Secondly, he is the last person to want to break ranks with what has been quite an impressively disciplined EU side. We have got to accept we have got to do the hard yards of negotiating in Brussels.”
Ricketts also said threatening no deal was unlikely to encourage European neighbours to drop their hardline stance. “The problem with it is these crafty foreigners also read our own media and they can see how little preparation has been done and how, in effect, it’s a bluff,” he said.
Bruno Bonnell, a member of Macron’s La République En Marche party, said France was prepared to take an economic blow to protect the EU’s single market and other institutions. “Love is gone. Hopefully we can restore it but it will take time. But now it’s time for power discussions,” he said.
However, one Whitehall source claimed EU nations were “waking up” to the prospect of no deal as the deadline crept closer and the risk it could create for their own economies, as well as the UK.
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Millie Bobby Brown & Jake Bongiovi Celebrate “Three Years of Bliss” Ahead of Wedding
March 24, 2024
C4Ehegcq1-A
Kate Middleton & Prince William "Enormously Touched" by Public Support
March 24, 2024
s8fig-RCjFc
Gisele Bündchen Denies Cheating on Ex-Husband Tom Brady
March 23, 2024
_SpRMagA8BM
Eminem, 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg Present Dr. Dre with a Star on the Walk of Fame
March 19, 2024
4bNLs1hxVp8
Opening Remarks for the Variety Summit October 20th, 2023 Jay Penske
March 18, 2024
c6Z707iLq8E
'Everybody Was S----ing Their Pants': Nick Thune Jokes About Being Born in the '70s and Fatherhood
March 16, 2024
mm7Baf6o2d8
Gunna Says Tour Will Up Creativity in Rap, Endorses Flo Milli | TMZ
March 22, 2024
QfMU24fw-Qo
Reporter Taylor Lorenz Says Palace Botched Kate Cancer News Rollout | TMZ Live
March 22, 2024
o43ZucdiyEo
Riley Strain's Body Found After Going Missing in Nashville 2 Weeks Ago | TMZ NOW
March 22, 2024
1m1zM-4_Cs8
Kyle Richards hasn’t spoken to co-star Dorit Kemsley, denies sending her a ‘manipulative’ text
March 24, 2024
LqLZzDP1hm4
Jordan Emanuel on her connection to 'RHOSLC' star Meredith Marks, advice from Amanda Batula
March 24, 2024
5NPAwlOov1Y
Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary apologizes after slamming ‘fickle’ Meghan Markle in scathing interview
March 24, 2024
JWG9kitALZk
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
20
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
SK Brann W - Barcelona W
20
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Hacken W - PSG W
19
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
SL Benfica W - Lyon W
19
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Ajax W - Chelsea W
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Brighton - Manchester City
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.