Ross Clark
significant implications for the Brexit process, because she has had a big hand in the EU’s strategy against Britain. She opposed granting David Cameron any meaningful reforms ahead of the referendum – reforms that could have swung Britain towards a Remain vote.
Immediately after the referendum, she made a speech insisting that Britain couldn’t enjoy any privileges of the single market unless we paid full dues and obeyed all rules without receiving any say in how those rules were made. Many Remainers still cling to the fantasy that we could remain in the single market while outside the EU, but Merkel ruled it out from day one.
Merkel has also been the driver of the EU’s policy of refusing to discuss a trade deal until Britain has put a large sum of money on the table. She has done so in spite of the knowledge that a “no deal” Brexit would affect relations with Germany’s third largest export market. In 2016, Germany exported £ 76billion worth of goods and services to Britain.
There was always going to come a point at which German industrialists started to question the wisdom of Merkel’s approach, asking whether she really wants to compromise her country’s economy just in order to be seen to score a political victory against Britain?
Sure enough, last week a group of business leaders launched a campaign called New Deal for Britain, appealing to the EU to grant Britain the concessions it should have done when David Cameron was renegotiating our relationship with the EU. Britain, claim the business leaders, has proved to be Germany’s chief ally when it comes to standing up against EU directives that could compromise competitiveness.
They are trying to lobby EU leaders to persuade them to offer Britain a new kind of EU membership, which would exclude free movement. The group would really like Britain to stay in the EU with its own bespoke deal. It is too late for that, but May should take the opportunity to reach out to German businesses and make common cause for a trade deal.
The Prime Minister must strike now, while Merkel is at her weakest, and make a statesmanlike appeal for free trade. If she can get trade talks moving, without giving in to ludicrous demands for money, she will enhance her reputation.
WHO knows, Theresa May might even come to replace Angela Merkel as Europe’s strong woman. There aren’t many other European leaders who can claim dominance over her. France’s Emmanuel Macron is deeply unpopular after only six months in power. Spain’s Mariano Rajoy has been damaged by his handling of the Catalan crisis.
Italy’s PM, Paolo Gentiloni, is struggling to keep his own coalition intact and lacks a personal mandate, having been appointed after his predecessor’s resignation last December. There are weak and chaotic governments all over Europe.
There is no reason why Theresa May and her ministers should feel in an inferior position at the EU negotiating table and every reason why they should continue to press for what so many people across Europe want – a grownup, free trading relationship between Britain and the EU once we have left.
‘ Question the wisdom of Merkel’s approach’