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Theresa May describes reports of disastrous Brexit meeting with Jean-Claude Juncker as 'Brussels gossip' | Theresa May describes reports of disastrous Brexit meeting with Jean-Claude Juncker as 'Brussels gossip' |
(35 minutes later) | |
Theresa May has dismissed reports in a German newspaper about a disastrous meeting with Jean Claude-Juncker as "Brussels gossip". | |
German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung said the European Commission (EC) president walked out of Brexit talks in London last week saying he was "10 times more sceptical than before". | |
It led to a flurry of criticism of Ms May's Brexit negotiating strategy, with opposition parties warning the UK was heading for a "disastrous hard Brexit". | |
The reported disclosures were attributed to sources at the EC. | |
Ms May responded to the reports on Monday evening, repeating the line that the Downing Street meeting had been "constructive". | |
“I have to say from what I've seen of this account I think's its Brussels gossip - and just look at what the European Commission themselves said immediately after the dinner took place, which was that the talks had been constructive," she said. | |
According to the report, when the Prime Minister told them "Let us make Brexit a success", Mr Juncker replied "Brexit cannot be a success". | |
He then produced copies of Croatia's EU entry deal and Canada's free trade deal, which runs to 2,000 pages, to show how complex any future deal would be. | |
Ms May was also said to have angered the EU side when she warned that the UK could not be forced to pay a "divorce bill" for leaving because there was no requirement under the treaties. | |
As he left, Mr Juncker was said to have told her: "I leave Downing Street 10 times as sceptical as I was before." | |
No 10 earlier on Monday said it did not recognise the account of the meeting which took place over dinner last Wednesday. | |
A Government spokesman said: "As the Prime Minister and Jean-Claude Juncker made clear, this was a constructive meeting ahead of the negotiations formally getting under way." |
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