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Leading

Michel Barnier: The Truth Behind Brexit

Leading

Goalhanger Podcasts

Politics, Government, News

4.62.7K Ratings

🗓️ 6 February 2023

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Who is the EU's man behind Brexit? How did he combat Britain's negotiating tactics? What is life like at the top of European politics? Alastair and Rory are joined by Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, three years on from Britain's exit from the European Union. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, receive a weekly newsletter, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. The New European: www.theneweuropean.co.uk/leading Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to the rest of his politics leading with me, Rory Stewart, and we're going to go

0:12.4

now back into a detailed discussion on Brexit and for this is just very quickly because

0:18.6

it now seems distant history. UK voted to leave in 2016 and Theresa May then came in as

0:25.0

Prime Minister, did these negotiations, people will remember vague the I guess phrases

0:29.5

like the checkers agreement with draw agreement. The backstop. Backstop, yes, through

0:34.4

a negotiation with Michel Vagnie at the end of 2018 produced her withdrawal agreement,

0:39.8

took it to the House of Commons and was defeated three times and eventually she resigned as

0:44.4

Prime Minister. Boris Johnson was then elected and he came in promising that he had a different

0:51.0

oven ready deal so he'd spent the previous three years rubbishing Theresa May's deal

0:56.3

and then produced his new deal whose fundamental change was to create a border in the

1:02.8

RSC between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Now, just before we get into our interview,

1:08.2

Alice, to give us a sense of what you were doing during that period, I think you were

1:11.4

a major leading voice which you and the campaign to remain for a second referendum.

1:16.4

I was within the campaign for a second referendum, yes, I wish I'd been more of a major

1:20.7

voice in the referendum on the big question to leave because I think like a lot of people

1:25.7

I didn't think it was going to happen. But Michel Barney is a very, very interesting guy.

1:32.6

I had a bit to do with him during that period because I think we were trying, he records

1:36.7

a meeting in his book that's just come out called My Secret Brexit Diary, now out in English

1:42.7

at polity press and the, you know, he records a meeting with Tony Blair where Tony Blair

1:47.9

was saying that, you know, he thinks there is an opportunity for a second referendum on

1:52.1

the final deal. And of course, that's all history now. But what is absolutely extraordinary

1:56.9

about Barney's book is, I mean, God, as you know, I keep a diary and there were times

...

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