Theresa May has said throughout her premiership so far that if the European Union cannot agree to a free trade deal, she will walk away and both Britain and the superbloc would have to trade with each other on World Trade Organization rules. Many commentators have dubbed this as a 'hard Brexit.' With the EU already hinting they won't play ball with Britain's demands, President Macron's victory in France last night has only increased the chances of a hard Brexit.
Throughout his campaign, he made it perfectly clear that he strongly dislikes Brexit.
He stated his intentions that he wishes to make the upcoming negotiations as difficult as possible for Mrs May. Compared to Ms Le Pen, he is a staunch Europhile. He supports France's bid to remain in the Eurozone and the Schengen Agreement. The latter allows for the free movement of people throughout the EU, despite evidence to suggest it contributed towards recent terrorist attacks in Paris.
A Macron victory only increases the EU's hand in upcoming Brexit negotiations. Regardless of the fact Ms Le Pen actually managed to increase the National Front's share of the vote, showing Euroscepticism is rising in France, many in Brussels will view this outcome as a solid endorsement of support for the EU.
Mrs Merkel and Mr. Juncker have received a new ally to help ensure the upcoming negotiations are as difficult for Britain as possible.
Homer Simpson once called the French 'cheese-eating surrender monkeys.' A harsh description, but one many people will use to describe Mr. Macron's victory. With no radical solutions to deal with France's membership of the EU, the Eurozone and Schengen, France has made a terrible mistake, and Mrs May should now be true to her word if the new French President does not aid her during the Brexit discussions.
