Michel Barnier - My Secret Brexit Diary

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‘If the treaties are the legal texts of the Brexit talks then this is the human version, revealing a Michel Barnier who is much warmer and far less diplomatic than his public persona. It’s a masterclass in how the EU operates, and a rare glimpse into the tensions on their side.’

– Adam Fleming, Chief Political Correspondent, BBC News

‘For historians writing about the UK’s long and painful exit from the European Union, Michel Barnier’s account is essential reading. For anyone interested in Brexit, it offers a valuable guide to the EU’s negotiating strategy and the people who shaped it.’

– Jennifer Rankin, Brussels Correspondent, The Guardian

‘This is a political thriller: 500 pages of twists and turns, advances and setbacks, taking place behind the scenes in an altogether extraordinary negotiation.’

– Nicolas Demorand, France Inter

‘The former European chief negotiator has delivered his Brexit novel: a unique experience of four and a half years recounted day by day, in the theatre of the powerful with its noble aims and petty squabbles, its backtracking and its bluffs, its laughter and its tears, including very personal ones. And it’s absolutely riveting.’

– Mathieu Laine, Les Échos

‘How did the European Union deal with the challenge of losing a leading member state? In this unique insider’s account, the EU’s chief negotiator reflects on the Brexit process, how it unfolded and how he managed the EU’s approach to the talks. Required reading for everyone interested in figuring out what happened and why.’

– Anand Menon, King’s College, London

‘This book is required reading for anyone seriously interested in the exhausting saga of the Brexit negotiations, and it is good to have an English edition of what is undoubtedly an important historical document.’

– Robert Tombs, University of Cambridge

Michel Barnier

Translated by Robin Mackay

polity

Originally published in French as La Grande Illusion. Journal secret du Brexit (2016–2020) © Éditions GALLIMARD, Paris, 2021

This English edition © Polity Press, 2021

Illustration 12 source: Ingram Pinn, 2018, ‘Taking Back Control’, Financial Times / FT.com. 27 July 2018. Used under licence from the Financial Times . All Rights Reserved.

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ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-5086-9 (hardback)

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2021943873

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To Oriana and Theodore, both born during this long negotiation, who kindly shared their grandfather with the British

Beat at this gate that let thy folly in,

And thy dear judgement out!