Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Still, at least we’re getting a tapestry...
Macron gives PM nothing on Brexit He lends salute to 1066 French win
THERESA May suffered a humiliating blow as French President Emmanuel Macron slapped down her Brexit plans.
The PM had hoped to make financial services a key plank of any deal.
But last night, after three hours of talks, the French leader said the only way the City of London could continue enjoying existing rights would be if the UK pumped cash into the EU and accepted the reach of the European Court of Justice.
At a joint press conference he said: “I’m here neither to punish or reward. I want to make sure the single market is preserved... so the choice is on the British side.
“There can be no differentiated access to financial services. If you want access to the single market it means you need to contribute to the budget and acknowledge the European jurisdiction. Such are the rules.”
It was a bitter blow for Mrs May. After promising Macron almost £45million to beef up security at Channel ports, all she managed to get out of him was a promise to let the Bayeux Tapestry come to Britain.
Putting on a brave face after the talks at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, Berks, she insisted the City “will continue to be a major global financial centre”. She added: “That is an advantage not just for the UK, it’s actually good for Europe and good for the global financial system.”
The two leaders confirmed that the 230-foot 940-year-old tapestry depicting the French victory over the English at the 1066 Battle of Hastings would come here in 2022.
The PM added: “I am honoured at the loan of such a precious piece of shared history which underscores the closeness of our relationship.”
Mrs May spoke briefly in French to welcome Mr Macron before the pair watched a joint flypast by the RAF and the French airforce.
The two leaders had lunch at the nearby Royal Oak pub owned by chat show host Sir Michael Parkinson.
BEHIND the pomp and ceremony there was no hiding tensions between Britain and France, however hard Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron tried.
The £44.5million the Tory Government agreed to spend to keep the border the other side of the Channel in Calais revealed a weak hand even the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry fails to hide.
Brexit is forcing May to work overtime to sustain good relations with our European neighbours.
For his part, Macron makes clear France doesn’t want an old ally and, in the past, enemy to go very far when we leave the EU.
The benefits of international co-operation are visible every hour of every day in Calais, where British border forces check passports and lorries rather than it being done in Dover.
Sustaining good relations demands goodwill and effort but May must not become a soft touch, by opening for France a public purse that is kept tightly shut for British grafters.
There was a distinct lack of honesty about the costs amid the EU referendum, so let’s demand all our politicians tell the truth now.