French president says UK took risk in way it let voters decide ‘very complicated subject’

The French people would probably vote to leave the EU if presented with a similar choice to the Brexit referendum, Emmanuel Macron has said, arguing that the UK had taken a big risk by asking “yes or no on a very complicated subject”.

In an interview on BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, the French president also criticised Donald Trump for calling developing countries “shitholes” and warned Theresa May her government could not cherry-pick benefits of EU membership.

Macron was interviewed during his visit to the UK earlier in the week, during which he had held talks with May. In extracts released before Sunday’s broadcast, Macron said the UK could win a bespoke Brexit deal but it would not involve full single market access.

In the full interview, Macron questioned the way the UK had chosen Brexit. Asked if the French would vote to leave the EU in the same way, he said: “Yes. Probably, in a similar context. But our context was very different, so I don’t want to take any bets. I would have definitely fought to win.

“But I think it is a mistake to just ask yes or no when you don’t ask people how to improve the situation and to explain how to improve it.”

He added: “You always take a risk when you ask in a referendum yes or no on a very complicated subject.”

Quick guide All you need to know about Anglo-French trade Show Hide Which country is 'on top'? Roughly £71bn of goods and services were traded between the two countries in 2016. France has the upper hand: the UK exported £33.8bn to France but imported £37.6bn. Exports to France have fallen by about 9% over the last decade, while imports are roughly flat. France is Britain's third-largest export market. What gets traded? There is an appreciation on both sides of the Channel for what each country does well: Britain is the largest importer of champagne, while more than 28m Harry Potter books have gone the other way. France is the second biggest European food exporter to the UK and accounts for 20% of dairy imports. There were more than 500 French restaurants in Britain in 2017, 54 of them in the Michelin Guide. Among the most common UK exports are cars, chemicals and financial services. France is a big exporter of aircraft, machinery and cars. Living and working About 150,000 British citizens live in France, while 155,000 French nationals are settled in the UK. Banking is the most common type of employment for French people in Britain, with the vast majority of them living in London and the south-east; there are 15 accredited French schools in the UK, 13 of which are in London. Roughly a quarter of all British citizens in France live in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Tourism The French make about 4m visits a year to the UK, making them the number one nationality of foreign visitors. About 11 million tourists visit France every year from the UK, more than from any other country. Business links More than 1,000 subsidiaries of British companies were based in France in 2014, generating 195,000 jobs. French companies with major operations in Britain include the energy giant EDF and the utilities firm Veolia. Angela Monaghan Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Any future relations the UK had with Brussels “will be by definition less deep than today”, Macron said.

“The deepest possible relationship is being a member of the European Union. So you have to be realistic, and be fair with people – as you decided to leave and not be part of the single market, that’s a function of the nature of the negotiation,” he said.

“You can have some deeper relations than some others. For instance, we have a deeper relationship with Norway than the one we have with Canada. So it depends on the outcome of the negotiations.

“But for sure – except if you change your mind – you will not be part of the single market, as you will not be part of the European Union.”



Play Video 1:06 Emmanuel Macron: special deal is possible for UK – video

Asked about Trump’s “shitholes” comments – which the US president denies saying, despite several people present recounting that he did – Macron was asked if he shared the outrage of the countries so described.

“For sure. It’s not a word you can use if you want precisely to build peace, developments in these countries and a respectful relationship,” he said.

Macron said politicians should try to ignore Trump’s Twitter outbursts as much as possible: “I think we should not overplay the situation in these tweets. It’s a sort of mix between personal and political reaction.”

Describing Trump as “not a classical politician”, Macron said he sought to work closely with him, as he had been elected by the US people, even though they “disagree on several topics”.

He was “always very direct and frank” in their chats, Macron said, adding: “Sometimes I manage to convince him, sometimes I fail.”