UK-EU: Ex-German Chancellor Merkel 'Tormented' by Brexit 'Humiliation,' UK Seeks New EU Negotiator

UK-EU: Ex-German Chancellor Merkel 'Tormented' by Brexit 'Humiliation,' UK Seeks New EU Negotiator
Above: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron attend a Conference in London in February, 2016. Image copyright: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images News via Getty Images 

The Facts

  • Extracts from Angela Merkel's autobiography Freedom, due to be published on Tuesday, state that the former German Chancellor was "tormented" by the UK's decision to leave the EU in what she considered a "humiliation" and "disgrace" for the European bloc.

  • Merkel served as chancellor for four terms from 2005-2021. The excerpt further claims that despite trying "wherever possible" to aid then-Prime Minister David Cameron, Merkel could not "fulfill all of [his] wishes for a British special path" in the EU.


The Spin

Left narrative

Merkel's extract from her upcoming autobiography clearly conveys that the disaster of Brexit has been felt on both sides of the English Channel. While Starmer remains adamant that rejoining the EU is not an option, it is clear that a return to the single market and customs union is exactly what the new UK government needs to truly rebuild ties and deliver the economic growth it has promised.

Right narrative

Merkel's legacy will rightly be remembered as one of failure. While nations like Germany continue to grapple with poor growth and raging immigration born from nearly two decades of disastrous EU establishment decisions, Starmer remains hellbent on defying the will of the British people and rejoining the failed European project in order to achieve purely ideological goals.


Metaculus Prediction


Public figures in this story



Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters
Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters

Sign Up!
Sign Up Now!