Ooh la la ... what would Madame Macron say, Theresa? what would Madame Macron say, Theresa?
FRENCH president Emmanuel Macron told Theresa May last night that Britain could change its mind about leaving the EU at any point until the moment Brexit happens.
After warmly embracing the Prime Minister when they met at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Mr Macron said France wanted negotiations to start as ‘quickly as possible’.
But he said the UK could still choose to stay, declaring: ‘Of course the door remains open, always open until the Brexit negotiations come to an end.’
Mrs May confirmed talks would begin next week, with the timetable for Brexit remaining on course.
The pair met for a three-course dinner at the Elysee Palace before watching the
England football team play France in a friendly match at the Stade de France, where they led the crowd in a Mexican wave.
Mr Macron, 39, whose wife Brigitte is 24 years his senior, appeared to get on well with 60-year-old Mrs May and they shared a joke after her notes blew away during a Press conference in the palace gardens.
The French president, who came to power last month, told journalists: ‘A sovereign decision was taken by the British people and that is to come out of the European Union and I very much respect the decisions taken by the people, be it by the French people or the British people.
‘As a matter of fact in this case it’s not for me to say whether or not this decision should be questioned… but until the negotiations come to an end, of course there is always the possibility to re-open the door.
‘But let us be clear and organised, and once the negotiations have started we should be well aware that it’ll be more difficult to move backwards.’
Mrs May said Britain has been ‘very clear that we want to maintain a close relationship and a close partnership with the EU and individual member states into the future’.
But she said last week’s election revealed British voters were united behind the Government as it gets on with Brexit.
She said: ‘I think there is a unity of purpose among people in the United Kingdom.
‘It’s a unity of purpose, having voted to leave the EU, that their Government gets on with that and makes a success of it, and we are committed to developing a deep and special partnership with the EU. We want the EU to continue to remain strong and we want to continue to co-operate.’
Mrs May said there was a ‘willingness and intent on both sides’ to secure an arrangement for Brexit.
Mrs May was accompanied by Home Secretary Amber Rudd, with plans under discussion to stop terrorists using the internet as a safe space. Options include online companies such as Facebook and Google being fined for failing to remove extremist propaganda from their platforms.
The UK and France are to develop plans to create a legal liability for technology companies that do not take action, while they are also leading work with the firms to remove harmful material automatically.
At last night’s match, crowds sang God Save The Queen and observed a minute’s silence for the victims of recent terror attacks in the UK. It comes after English football fans sang the French national anthem at Wembley following the 2015 Paris attack.
Before the match a French military band played the Oasis song Don’t Look Back In Anger, which had been sung at vigils for the Manchester victims, then at half time a banner unfurled by fans read: ‘United with the cities of Manchester and London.’