Brexiteer fury over Tusk’s ‘hell’ jibe
Talk of ‘special place in Hell’ for clueless Brexiteers sparks backlash
DONALD Tusk yesterday sparked a diplomatic war of words with the UK after saying there was a ‘special place in hell’ for those who backed Brexit without a plan of how to leave the EU.
The president of the powerful European Council made the remarks as he stood next to Leo Varadkar during a joint statement in Brussels.
He said: ‘By the way, I’ve been wondering what the special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.’
Afterwards a smiling Mr Varadkar was caught on a mic telling Mr Tusk: ‘They’ll give you terrible trouble in the British press’, to which he replied ‘I know’, and laughed.
TENSIONS between the UK and Europe escalated dramatically yesterday after Donald Tusk suggested there was ‘a special place in hell’ for those who campaigned to leave the EU ‘without a plan’.
The president of the European Council made the remarks as he stood next to Leo Varadkar during a joint statement in Brussels – and his words prompted anger in the UK.
It comes as British prime minister Theresa May prepares for a visit to Dublin this evening, where she will dine with the Taoiseach and discuss the latest state of play in Brexit negotiations.
Mr Tusk said yesterday: ‘A sense of responsibility also tells us to prepare for a possible fiasco. The Taoiseach and I have spoken about the necessary actions in case of no deal; I know that you will also be discussing this shortly with the European Commission.’
He also said: ‘By the way, I’ve been wondering what the special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.’
After the comments, a smiling Mr Varadkar was caught on a mic telling Mr Tusk: ‘They’ll give you terrible trouble in the British press’, to which he replied ‘I know’, and laughed. Mr Varadkar added: ‘I know you’re right.’
The words sparked fury from Tory MPs and members of the DUP. Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom said: ‘What he has said is pretty unacceptable and pretty disgraceful. I’m sure that when he reflects on it he may well wish he hadn’t done it.’
But EU sources said the comments reflected a ‘widely held frustration’ with the UK’s failure to set out a clear position after two years of talks since the 2016 referendum to leave the EU.
Mrs May jets in to Brussels today for talks with the European Commission about the backstop. Comment – Page 12 james.ward@dailymail.ie