Thread by @nicktolhurst

This *may* be of interest. My own personal German based Liam Fox anecdote.

Frankfurt based since 2001 I was invited to a (I’ll keep it unnamed) Anglo-German business meeting in 2017 in which Fox was the guest of honour.
The subject was „the post #brexit UK-German relationship“.

2/ ..should have been home ground for Fox. The majority of attendees were more FDP than CDU (FDP is nearest thing Ger has to a euro-critical low tax Tory party).

Its Frankfurt-all Germans speak English, they may not like #brexit but they distrust „Brussels“ & want a EU-UK deal..

3/ Fox starts well enough saying how theres no sense in building up barriers where none exists btwn UK & Germany & that once „emotion“ of #brexit gone things will be smooth. Ger biz crowd like this - against emotion & barriers in trade sounds good to them

Then it went strange...

4/ #brexit Fox opined was a wake up call to EU (crowd OK), it will force the single mkt to open up & drive free trade round the world (crowd gets nervous). Fox didn’t stop there tho brexit he said will change the single mkt more than it will change UK.

Fox then questioned...

5/ Fox then posed question why single mkt so „EU centric“? (Much frowning & chatter). He then moved on to „London“. #brexit won’t change London fin position-why? It was never explained. Frankfurt is Ger fin hub it’s literally FFM biggest industry.

Then came „mingle & question“.

6/ Fox moved round tables (with civil servant behind) to meet attendees. On every single question no illumination or even viewpoint was given. But a repetition of when „emotion gone a deal will be done“

Germans are practical, they don’t go in for BS. The room grew restless....

7/ 55y old Ger business men aren’t used to being fobbed off-questions got more direct & demanding on biz financing, city regs, supply chains etc. from Fox nothing. What was weird tho was that increasingly the mid 20s civil servant behind him wld pull Fox away after each question.

8/ now I want to be careful here: but many couldn’t help notice his hands seemed to be shaking this combined with a blotchy face (perhaps too much airtravel) didn’t cut impressive figure. He announced he had a plane to catch & he was as off. The whole exercise less than an hour

9/ at the bar afterwards the crowd seemed subdued. The meeting actually generated less confidence & information in UK #brexit position than before. This before a crowd of vital importance & stakeholders for UK.

10/ while I’m not reading too much into one meeting it’s clear that GER biz position on #brexit changed since 2016. it’s now seen as a problem to mitigate & that singleMkt must be protected at all costs.

Any special UK-GER route now gone, oh & Fox? nobody mentions Him here
/ENDS