#AskBarnier: Farage to Meet EU’s Brexit Negotiator and ‘Represent’ Brexit Voters

Michel Barnier nigel farage
SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP/Getty

Former UKIP leader and MEP Nigel Farage is to meet the European Union’s (EU) hard-line chief Brexit negotiator, and is asking for Brexit-supporters to submit their questions to put to him.

French politician Michel Barnier has so far made time for private meetings with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Scottish Nationalists, as well as some of the UK’s most prominent anti-Brexit politicians.

In October, he met with veteran Tory Europhile MP Ken Clarke, former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, and Labour Lord Adonis – who recently resigned from the government, promising to try and overturn Brexit.

The meeting prompted Mr. Farage to write to Mr. Barnier, claiming he was listening to people “who want to stop or delay Brexit” while ignoring those who represent the 17.4 million who voted for Brexit.

He also accused Mr. Barnier of “trying to divide and rule our country”, adding: “I’ve had enough of this neverending stream of europhiles going to see the man who is tasked with negotiating Brexit.”

The unelected EU bureaucrat has taken a hard line on Brexit, at one point demanding a 100 billion euro ‘divorce bill’ and implying the UK was abandoning the fight against terror by leaving the bloc.

Mr. Farage gained significant support on social media, and now Mr. Barnier has responded, agreeing to meet Mr. Farage this coming Monday.

Speaking on a video on Twitter, Mr. Farage confirmed Thursday he had “finally got my meeting with Monsieur Barnier”, before asking his followers to submit questions to put to the EU boss.

“I want to involve you. I want you to ask your questions directly to Michel Barnier.

“So, respond: give me your name; give me your hometown; give me one question; use ‘#AskBarnier’ and I’ll pick the best three,” he said.

James McGrory of the pro-EU Open Britain group attacked the meeting and claimed that Mr. Farage going to Brussels to represent Brexit voters was “like sending an arsonist to put out a house fire”.

“He has no answers to the costs and complexity of Brexit, other than to blithely say we should walk away with no deal, which would be an unmitigated disaster for our economy and our country,” he told the BBC.

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