Former Brexit Negotiator Becomes New French Prime Minister
Former Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, becomes the new French prime minister, appointed by Emmanuel Macron. After facing huge pressure coming with the French elections, Macron decided to take action and appointed Mr Barnier to the new post.
France has been experiencing a political roller coaster ride when Mr Macron’s party lost its majority in the parliament. Another party was seen on the rise with a gain in parliament seats; Marine Le Pen’s far-right party.
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A clear expression of anger came from Miss Le Pen as she clarified that the National Rally would not be a part of the current government under the new French prime minister. Members of the New Popular Front showed the same concern and were not happy with the decision.
Mr Barnier has been able to secure a vote of confidence by the MPs as a green ticket to stand for the prime minister.
The official residence of the President of the French Republic in Paris, Elysee Palace, stated, “The president of the republic has appointed Michel Barnier as Prime Minister. He has to form a united government to serve the country and the French people”.
The former Brexit negotiator is a 73-year-old staunch Europhile. Being a member of the Republican party that shows a representation of the traditional right, he is known for his role as a mediator. The United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union was a result of his meditation efforts.
Former Brexit negotiator’s adroitness makes him a suitable choice
He was born in January 1951 in a small suburb of Alpine City, Grenoble. He became the first elected in the parliament when he was just 27 years old.
He remained appointed to the post of chief negotiator during his endeavours to take the UK out of the EU. The lengthy discussion took place between 2016 and 2021 in which London and Brussels were on two sides. He is considered one of the amazing Brexiteers who know what they are saying and how to say it. Driving hard bargains on the UK’s side has been his hard core skill for years.
Emmanuel Macron accepted the resignation of the previous Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal in the month of July. Following his defeat of the centrist Ensemble alliance in the second round of France’s early legislative election, he came with his resignation.
Since then, an evident political divide has been witnessed for which the President was getting calls from all directions for appointing a new PM. Last week, the President indicated to the media that he was “making all the necessary efforts” to pick a name and finalise it.
Currently, after accepting the responsibility of being the new French Prime Minister, Mr Barnier is unclear about his future political direction. National Rally has refused to work with him but the party, being one of the largest ones in the parliament, hinted at working in future despite not giving a veto to him at present.
The leaders of France’s main far-right and far-left political parties reacted to the new appointment of the prime minister on Thursday. The far-left leaders were still condemned to the decision.
Leaders are still ready to judge Brexit negotiator with his inauguration speech. A similar statement was given by Jordan Bardella, the president of the far-right National Rally party. They want to see his “general policy speech, his budgetary decisions and his actions”.
