What If Macron Blocked a Brexit Delay? His Reasons to Be Tempted
What If Macron Blocked a Brexit Delay? His Reasons to Be Tempted
(Bloomberg) -- Emmanuel Macron is playing the tough guy on Brexit again.
As the European Union discusses whether to give Prime Minister Boris Johnson the Brexit delay he has asked for but doesn’t really want, the French president has signaled he’s ready to block it.
With any postponement of the U.K.’s departure needing the unanimous support of EU leaders, the man in the Elysee Palace has the power to dictate Britain’s future.
“The Oct. 31 deadline must be met,” Macron said at the conclusion of last week’s EU summit. After Tuesday’s vote in the House of Commons, it almost certainly won’t be met.
His junior European affairs minister, Amelie de Montchalin, said on Wednesday that France wouldn’t block a short extension of five to 10 days -- but what if Johnson and other EU leaders asked for more time to negotiate?
With Angela Merkel -- much more open than Macron to a Brexit delay -- moving toward the end of her time as German chancellor, the French leader is looking to take over the mantle of Europe’s de facto chief. He has already opposed other EU countries on enlargement and the bloc’s budget.
Brexit fatigue is rampant across the EU and governments are beginning to resent how much time and energy is being spent on the subject. Macron could view this as the opportunity to show he can move things on.
As French presidents have found since Charles de Gaulle twice blocked the U.K.’s bid to join the EU in the 1960s, being tough on Britain can play well at home, too. Macron’s poll ratings have dipped since he saw off contenders from the established parties to win the election in 2017.
For Johnson, Macron is becoming an unlikely ally. Any prospect of a delay helps the prime minister persuade politicians in London they should back his Brexit deal immediately. Johnson told opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in a meeting on Wednesday that Macron could wield the veto, a Labour Party spokesman said.
We’ve been here before. Macron was just as belligerent before the decision to delay Brexit in April and, while the extension ended up being shorter than many governments were hoping for, it was still approved.
EU officials in Brussels say they can’t see any likelihood of Macron following through on his threat. For one thing, it could lead to a no-deal Brexit that would harm French citizens, especially in areas of the country that Macron is trying to woo. But it’s still a tempting possibility for him.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ian Wishart in Brussels at iwishart@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Edward Evans, Paul Sillitoe
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.