The EU’s former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has just been appointed to be France’s new prime minister – and Eurosceptics with long memories are not happy.
French politics has been going through a tumultuous period since president Emmanuel Macron’s party lost its majority in parliament and the far-right saw a huge uptick in support.
Although Macron chose Barnier, the former EU commissioner still needs to survive a vote of confidence in parliament to get the job.
And while the French president may see Barnier as a unifying figure, Brexiters over in the UK certainly do not.
Barnier led the EU negotiations with Britain between 2016 and 2021. He was known for taking a particularly firm stance against the UK, and calling then-PM Boris Johnson a “bulldozer”.
In response to Barnier’s appointment, Reform leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage posted on X: “Michel Barnier becomes the new French prime minister. An EU fanatic that will suit sell-out Starmer.”
Former Brexit Party MEP, Alex Phillips, posted a much angrier message, writing that his appointment was proof “the machine doesn’t even try to hide the fact anymore that instead of rigging elections, it just ignores them.”
Meanwhile, John hayes, the Tory MP for South Holland and Deepings, one of the constituencies with the highest level of support for Leave in 2016, lashed out at the former negotiator.
told GB News: “We thought we’d seen the last of ‘Monsieur Barnier’ after the Brexit negotiations – where he was determined to get Britain the worst possible deal.”
Former Tory leader and MP for Chingford and Woodford, Iain Duncan Smith, also told the broadcaster that Barnier’s appointment “shows the desperation of France”.
A question mark remains over Barnier’s job, though, as he still needs most of parliament to back him.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally in France, has already announced her party would not back Barnier in a coalition government.