Barnier: the 'French Joe Biden' who grappled with Brexit

Veteran French politician Michel Barnier has held a collection of top jobs as minister, European Union commissioner and negotiator on Brexit during a half-century political career that has seen him tack further to the right in recent years.

His appointment as prime minister comes after two months of political deadlock in France, with sources close to President Emmanuel Macron saying his profile finally fits the bill of the figure required for the job.

The looming challenges will be immense, not least the likelihood that Barnier will face a no-confidence motion in parliament put forward by left-wing opponents.

Barnier, 73, who hails from the Haute Savoie region of the Alps, first become a French member of parliament aged just 27 in the 1970s and first entered government in the mid-1990s under late president Jacques Chirac.

He is more than double the age of outgoing premier Gabriel Attal.

While Attal was the youngest prime minister in the history of modern France, Barnier is the oldest.

Serving stints as foreign minister and also two mandates as an EU commissioner in Brussels, he is best known for taking on the thankless job he held from 2016 on negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union on behalf of the bloc.

Firm in talks, courteous with the other side, and hugely respected by his team, Barnier won considerable respect for his handling of the process.

Such is the longevity of Barnier's top-level political career that he is known by some as the "French Joe Biden" after the US leader whose long career has spanned a similar time.

Far-right lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy was less complimentary, describing him as "fossilised from political life".

Barnier wrote a book about Brexit "My Secret Brexit Diary: A Glorious Illusion", its title already stating clearly what he thought of the idea of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union.

While true to his courteous reputation, Barnier steered clear of any salacious gossip in the published work, he never ceases to express his amazement at how his British counterparts were handling the process.

"There is most definitely something wrong with the British system... every passing day shows that they have not realised the consequences of what is truly at stake here," he wrote.

- Hard line on migration -

But Barnier had largely vanished from the French political scene since missing out on the nomination from his The Republicans (LR) party to challenge Macron in 2022 presidential elections.

Barnier had vowed then in his pitch to "be the president of a France that is reconciled, to respect the French people and have France respected."

In the campaign, Barnier surprised some of his admirers in the European Union by staking out ground to the right, calling for an "electric shock" on security, a moratorium on immigration and the reintroduction of military service.

He also triggered dismay in Brussels by calling for France to free itself from European court oversight.

To claw back France's "space to maneuver", Barnier said he would organize a referendum if elected, asking voters to approve constitutional changes and the ability of parliament to set immigrant quotas each year.

He declared he did not "really like the concept of European sovereignty" and took aim at "German dominance" in the European Union, adding "I know what I'm talking about."

His appointment has even caused disquiet among allies with one LR member of parliament, asking not to be named, saying he epitomised "everything the French don't want".

He is "disconnected and will continue or finish killing the right," they said.

© Agence France-Presse