German MEP slapped down for claiming Brexit is ‘impossible’
A TOP Euro politician was slated yesterday for saying Brexit looked like “Mission Impossible”.
German MEP Manfred Weber predicted the UK’s departure will be very difficult and “create a lot of damage, especially for the Brits”.
He claimed British people had never had it explained what they were voting for – and forecast that our exit will be so painful it will convince other EU countries to want to remain inside the bloc.
Speaking in Strasbourg, he insisted: “It will be a mirror to show the people in the EU that it is much better to reform the EU than to destroy the EU.”
However he was immediately denounced by British politicians as “Remoaner-in-Chief” and slammed for his “disappointing” pessimism.
And his remarks fuelled calls for Britain to head for the swiftest exit instead of getting bogged down in lengthy Brussels processes.
Mr Weber – who leads the European Parliament’s biggest political group, the centre-right European People’s Party – lit the fuse for the row as he spoke to reporters.
He said: “When I have a look at the content and the topics on the table, for me it is still Mission Impossible ahead of us, how we can manage this. This will create a lot of damage, especially for the Brits, for sure.
“Nobody had the wish to do this but it is the reality and we have to start to recognise this.
“This will not be an easy task ahead of us, especially having in mind to defend the interests of the EU.
“None of the British politicians ever explained to people in Great Britain what is Europe, nobody. And with Brexit everybody will understand this in a negative way.”
Sidelined
Mr Weber said the European Parliament must not be sidelined by the European Commission, which runs the bloc, or the European Council of member governments.
And he insisted MEPs would not meekly bow to the will of Michel Barnier, the Frenchman picked by the Commission to spearhead Brexit talks on Brussels’ behalf.
He said: “The only parliament on the Continent who will vote in favour or against is the European Parliament and that’s define our own rules.
“We have to defend the ideas and the interests of 440 million remaining Europeans and that is what we will do, for sure.”
Ukip Brexit spokesman and MEP Gerard Batten said Mr Weber’s comments underlined why simply repealing the law by which Britain joined the EU was the best way to deliver the referendum result, rather than getting bogged down in EU talks.
Mr Batten said: “He obviously wants to be the Remoaner-in-Chief from a place democracy rejected.
“News alert, my friend: History has passed the EU by. Great Britain has voted to leave and we will make a success of it.”
Tory MP and Change Britain backer Andrea Jenkyns said: “It is disappointing to see EU politicians approach Brexit in this pessimistic manner with such little confidence in their own negotiating ability.
“Taking back control of borders, laws, trade and how we spend taxpayers’ money provides an exciting future for the UK. Brits have every reason to be optimistic.” why we