He told delegates that her opponent Martin Shulz is ‘anti-British’ and Merkel is the only European leader with the clout to get all the European nations in one room to sign a Brexit deal.
For Brexit to be a success it’s imperative that Germany re-elects Angela Markel come September 24, according to James Knightley, senior economist at ING.
He labelled her opponent Martin Shulz ‘anti-British’ and said Merkel (pictured) is the only European leader with the clout to get all the European leaders in one room to sign a Brexit deal.
Knightley said: “My talks with the British government suggest that if Martin Shulz wins we are absolutely screwed - if there is one politician that is anti-British it is Martin Shulz.
“We have got to hope and pray that Angela Merkel wins.”
Knightley added: “It’s going to come down to midnight on the 29 March 2019 to sign a deal.
“What is the one politician you want in that room who is going to force everyone to get round and finally sign?
“There is only one politician in Europe who can do that: That is Angela Merkel.
“We desperately need her to win if we have any hope of getting a decent deal.”
The German Federal Election 2017 will take place on September 24 and Merkel is favourite after performing strongly in the regionals.
Knightley also summed up the situations in other countries.
France and the Netherlands appear to be pro-European Union for the foreseeable future.
But Knightley said Italy is a “disaster zone”, where a number of political candidates are blaming the EU on its economic woes.
He also took a swipe at Scotland’s independence-obsessed leaders, saying it’s “not a viable country economically” and is running a deficit worse than Greece.
