French ambassador: 'Game changer' election has prompted ‘real debate’ on Brexit
2 min read
The shock result from the general election will have a “game-changing” result on Brexit, the outgoing French Ambassador to the UK has said.
Sylvie Bermann said the outcome of the snap vote, which saw Theresa May lose her majority in the Commons, was a “reality check” for Britain.
The diplomat said now the UK was hearing the voices of businesses and more diverse opinions as it considered how to proceed with its departure from the EU.
Ms Bermann told the Guardian: “Everybody said that Theresa May would have between a 30- and 80-seat majority and when we watched the TV everybody was surprised: the reaction was that the results of these elections were a game-changer.
“Now you hear more diverse opinions about Brexit, more views from the business community. I think it is a good thing when you have a real debate – it is democracy.”
She described Chancellor Philip Hammond – who is viewed as one of the leading voices for a so-called “soft Brexit” in the Cabinet – as “very wise” and “very knowledgeable”.
While attacking the “scaremongering” of the Leave campaign in last year’s referendum, Ms Bermann praised prominent Brexiteer Boris Johnson.
She said: “I like Boris Johnson. It is not about Brexit – he was very supportive as mayor of London and he was the one who decided to illuminate Trafalgar Square with the Tricolore.”
She also said Brexit is not a priority in France like it is the in the UK. In Britain, she said it is: “Brexit in the morning, Brexit for lunch and Brexit for dinner...
“It is not the case in France or in Europe – the priority in the EU is to protect and strengthen the EU and to deal with migration crisis. Brexit is not a priority for us.”
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