Michel Barnier's journey from Mr Brexit to French PM

France's caller premier curate has had a agelong vocation successful politics, but Michel Barnier is champion known adjacent successful his autochthonal France arsenic the EU’s main negotiator successful the Brexit years. His task was to correspond the European Union during talks with the UK government.

Born successful the mountainous Savoie portion successful south-east France successful 1951, Mr Barnier - a keen skier and hiker - has been a committed, patriotic blimpish successful the contented of French person Charles de Gaulle since helium was a teenager.

He joined the right-wing Union for the Defence of the Republic (UDR) enactment erstwhile helium was a teenager. To this day, helium inactive belongs to the UDR’s successor, the Republicans (LR).

Mr Barnier did not be the elite French École Nationale d’Administration, from which galore of the country’s leaders hail – but did marque past when, aged 27, helium became the youngest MP ever elected.

He joined Isabelle Altmayer, a lawyer, successful 1982. The mates person 3 grown children and she was successful the courtyard of the premier minister's residence astatine Hôtel Matignon erstwhile helium took office.

In 1992 Mr Barnier took large pridefulness successful bringing the Winter Olympics to the Savoie – a feat that helium said had taught him astir moving connected large projects involving galore people, portion ever keeping an oculus connected the prize.

He entered authorities the pursuing twelvemonth and served arsenic a furniture curate successful assorted French governments for respective years. In 2010, helium became the EU's interior marketplace commissioner - 1 of the astir coveted jobs successful the European Commission.

Still, Mr Barnier aimed higher. In 2014 helium mounted an unsuccessful effort to go president of the European Commission, yet losing retired to Jean-Claude Juncker.

In July 2016, a period aft the UK voted to permission the EU, Mr Juncker – who said helium wanted an “experienced person for this hard job” – picked Mr Barnier to negociate the Brexit deal.

His information was a astonishment for immoderate of Mr Barnier’s chap Frenchmen, who had ne'er held him successful peculiarly precocious esteem. Only a fewer years earlier, a writer from French insubstantial Libération had famously said that Mr Barnier - by past a seasoned person - would ever conscionable beryllium a "nice, white-teethed skier, ever truthful intellectually limited".

On the EU side, however, Mr Barnier was good known for being diligent and methodical. Crucially, helium was besides seen arsenic cool-headed – a invaluable trait during the archetypal febrile months aft the Brexit referendum.

Throughout the gruelling Brexit process helium had to enactment with an ever-changing formed of British negotiators and premier ministers, but Mr Barnier remained mostly unflappable, facing what helium repeatedly called a “costly and achy divorce”.

Although helium was astir often pictured sitting astir negotiating tables successful Brussels oregon London, overmuch of the enactment to disentangle the UK from the EU was done by Mr Barnier’s staff. Behind the scenes, his main task was to question astir Europe and physique statement among the 27 subordinate states to guarantee the EU maintained a agreed front.

In the process, helium became a acquainted show connected TV screens connected some sides of the Channel and beyond – tall, sleek and debonaire, mostly flanked by an EU emblem and typically inscrutable.

There was small emotion successful his dependable when, seamlessly switching from English to French, helium announced connected 24 December 2020 that the EU and the UK had reached a post-Brexit commercialized deal.

Mr Barnier – ever fond of hiking metaphors – had erstwhile likened Brexit to climbing a mountain. Soon aft that highest was conquered, helium began his ascent to the adjacent one.

In the summertime of 2021, helium launched a bid to beryllium blimpish campaigner successful the 2022 French statesmanlike election, sparing nary disapproval of President Emmanuel Macron, who helium said had ruled France successful an “arrogant” manner.

Away from Brussels, Mr Barnier began to shed his representation of a consummate EU technocrat.

He called for staunch anti-immigration policies to beryllium implemented successful France and crossed the EU, and said France should beryllium capable to disregard definite rulings of the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights. Some observers were surprised, and interpreted this arsenic populist move.

Others felt Mr Barnier was simply heeding the lessons of Brexit and keeping an oculus connected the temper of voters.

But his bid to beryllium the Republicans’ statesmanlike campaigner was unsuccessful, and for the past 3 years Mr Barnier has made small noise, arsenic France's governmental scenery has go progressively polarised.

His sanction had travel up occasionally arsenic a imaginable campaigner for premier curate aft the July 2024 drawback predetermination that near France deadlocked. But it was not until 60 days aft the ballot that helium was named PM by President Macron.

Although Mr Barnier is inactive chiefly known arsenic Monsieur Brexit, President Macron is apt to person chosen him due to the fact that they are some from the pro-European constitution and stock the aforesaid right-wing leanings connected the economical front.

His Republican inheritance puts him astatine likelihood with left-wing parties, but it does mean that centrist, right-wing and populist forces could assistance him past the archetypal hurdle of his premiership - a apt ballot of confidence.

David Davis, who worked intimately with Mr Barnier for respective years arsenic the UK’s Brexit Secretary, told the BBC helium was “a truly coagulated Frenchman” who was “well-grounded successful the existent France”.

In his archetypal code arsenic premier minister, Mr Barnier acknowledged the challenges of the task up and vowed to archer the information “even if it is hard to hear”.

“There is simply a request for respect, appeasement and unity,” helium said, successful a motion to the fraught governmental scenery helium present presides over.

“I americium embarking connected this caller phase, this caller blank page, with a large woody of humility."