Key moment when Barnier showed he is in the Brexit driving seat – NOT Ursula von der Leyen

Political analyst Professor Tony Travers later said Mr Barnier’s off-the-cuff remarks, during which he emphasised Britain would not be able to implement any trade agreements with third countries until after the UK has officially left the EU, suggested he, not Ms von der Leyen, was in the driving seat when it came to Brexit. And Professor Travers said Mr Barnier was sending a signal to Prime Minister Boris Johnson that even though the UK will leave the bloc at the end of the month, the process would drag on for several more years.

Ms von der Leyen, a former student of the LSE, attended the packed Sheikh Zayed Theatre for the event, entitled Old Friends, New Beginnings: building another future for the EU-UK partnership.

Mr Barnier was called to the stage by Ms von der Leyen during a Question and Answer session after she was asked: “When will the UK have the green light to do third-party negotiations?”

Rather than tackle the question herself, she invited Mr Barnier to do so, and he took a seat next to Minouche Shafik, LSE Director and former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, who chaired the discussion.

Ursula von der Leyen Michel Barnier

Ursula von der Leyen and Michel Barnier (Image: GETTY)

Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula von der Leyen invites Mr Barnier on to the stage (Image: LSE)

None of these agreements can be implemented before the UK leaves

Michel Barnier

Emphasising the “huge consequences” of Britain’s decision to leave the EU, Mr Barnier said: “I just want to repeat that leaving the EU, the single market and the customs union means for the UK to leave at the same time mechanically, automatically, 600 international agreements.”

As a result, all such trade agreements would have to be renegotiated, something Mr Barnier described as a “very important task”.

He warned: “None of these agreements can be implemented before the UK leaves.

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Michel Barnier Minouche Shafik

Michel Barnier with Minouche Shafik at the event (Image: LSE)

“They are allowed to negotiated but they cannot be implemented.”

During her speech, Ms von der Leyen said Britain could not expect the “highest quality access” to EU markets if it abandons Brussels rules after Brexit.

She said talks on a free trade deal after Britain leaves the EU at the end of January would be “tough”, with both sides seeking to protect their own interests.

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Anti-Brexit demonstrators

Anti-Brexit demonstrators outside the LSE (Image: Daily Express/Ciaran McGrath)

Boris Johnson Ursula von der Leyen

Boris Johnson with Ursula von der Leyen outside Number 10 (Image: GETTY)

She said Boris Johnson’s insistence that there could be no extension of the transition period beyond the end of 2020 meant there was a limit to what could be agreed before the UK’s final break with the EU.

Speaking ahead of her first meeting with the Prime Minister since she took office last month, Ms von der Leyen said they would need to “prioritise” those areas where there were no international agreements to fall back on to avoid a damaging “hard Brexit”.

Mr Barnier was appointed to his role by Ms von der Leyen’s predecessor, Jean-Claude Juncker, in July 2016, the month after the UK voted to leave the EU.

A Brexit timeline

A Brexit timeline (Image: Daily Express)

Prof Travers, director of LSE London, said Ms von der Leyen, who started her job at the beginning of last month, had used her speech to stake her claim as a significant world leader.

However, he added: “Quite what the balance of power is when it comes to Brexit between her and Barnier is – I suspect Barnier is the person who has more power.”

Prof Travers said Mr Barnier’s intervention had been intended to send a signal to Mr Johnson and the Government that the complexities surrounding Brexit remained considerable.

Michel Barnier

Michel Barnier outside Downing Street today (Image: GETTY)

He added: “What we’ve got here is getting Brexit done in the sense that the UK will leave the EU by 31st January.

“But much, much more than 11 months after that, several years after that, possibly even more than that, there will be transitional arrangements, new deals being written with other countries.

“This is going to take a long time, years not months.”

source: express.co.uk