President Macron denounced the “lies and false promises” behind the UK’s divorce from the EU last night. In the traditional presidential New Year’s Eve address to the nation, Mr Macron conceded that the EU’s internal difficulties had contributed to Brexit. He suggested that the way forward for the bloc lay in greater integration, which had already begun under French guidance. He promised France a better future during a 15-minute address, before adopting a more sober tone to say: “This evening for the first time, a country — the UK — will leave the EU.”He described Brexit as the “child of a malaise within the EU”. He also criticised the “lies and false promises”, in what appeared to be a shot across the bows of

Source: The Times January 01, 2021 00:22 UTC