How European politics could derail Brexit negotiations

Many of Europe’s politicians are soon to face or have recently been through elections. The results will affect the stance each country takes in Brexit negotiations. Matthew Partridge explains why.

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Angela Merkel is having a tough time forging a coalition to govern Germany.
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It's safe to say that the political debate around Brexit is getting interesting. There's been a lot of speculation in the papers about splits in the cabinet, with the possibility that the prime minister could carry out a major reshuffle. Depending on how that is carried out, it could shift the balance of power towards those who want a hard Brexit, or empower those who want Britain to retain substantial links with the EU. At the same time, there have been demands from within Parliament for the Commons to have a bigger say on the final deal.

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri