France ‘would have voted to leave EU’
President warns UK on financial services
France would have probably voted to leave the European Union if it had staged a referendum on membership, its president has admitted.
Emmanuel Macron yesterday said he believed that Britain backed Brexit because “a lot of losers” of globalisation had “decided it was no more for them”.
FRANCE WOULD have probably voted to leave the European Union if it had staged a referendum on membership, its president has said.
Emmanuel Macron said he believed Britain backed Brexit because “a lot of losers” of globalisation had “decided it was no more for them”.
Going to voters with a Yes/No vote on a “complicated” issue is always a “risk”, he said.
“You always take a risk when you have such a referendum, just yes or no in a very complicated context,” Mr Macron told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr show.
Asked whether France would have returned the same result, he replied: “Yes. Probably, in a similar context but our context was very different, so I don’t want to take any bets.
“I would have definitely fought very hard to win.
“But I think it is a mistake to just ask yes or no when you don’t ask people how to improve the situation and to explain how to improve it.”
Mr Macron said Britain will secure a bespoke trade deal but left the door open to Brexit being reversed.
The French President said he would “love” to welcome the UK back into the European Union and insisted the group of member states will become 27 “unhappily”.
Mr Macron said on Thursday that France would not give in to British demands for the financial services sector to be covered by a Brexit trade deal after talks with Theresa May.
In his TV interview broadcast yesterday, he said there is “a competition between different countries” to attract financial services companies in the future and that France wanted “to attract the maximum activity”.
Asked if it was inevitable that Britain would leave, he replied: “I mean, it’s on your own.
“It depends on you. I mean, I do respect this vote, I do regret this vote, and I would love to welcome you again.”
Mr Macron said full access for financial services to the single market “is not feasible”.
Pressed on whether there would be a bespoke special solution for Britain, he said: “Sure, but... this special way should be consistent with the preservation of the single market and our collective interests.
“And you should understand that you cannot, by definition, have the full access to the single market if you don’t tick the box.”
He added: “So it’s something perhaps between this full access and a trade agreement.”
Last week it was reported that the UK and France are “making a new tapestry together”, as Mr Macron agreed new co-operation on defence and measures to tackle the migrant crisis with Theresa May.
The talks saw Mrs May commit tens of millions of pounds to strengthen UK border controls in France, while Mr Macron confirmed the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain.
But the French President indicated he would stand firm on the issue of financial services during the Brexit negotiations, saying he was “here neither to punish nor reward” the UK following its decision to leave the European Union.
Mr Macron was making his first visit to Britain since entering the Elysee Palace and was greeted last week at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, with a guard of honour from the Coldstream Guards and had a pub lunch with Prime Minister Theresa May.
A new treaty between the two countries will enable the improvement of security at Calais, in a move that could cost the UK about £45m. The treaty will also allow an acceleration in the processing of migrants seeking to come to the UK via Calais, with a reduction in the wait from six months to one month for adults and 25 days for children.