ANALYSIS

DONALD Tusk’s extraordinary attack on Leave campaigners yesterday smacked of a Brussels diversion tactic designed to deflect attention from a climbdown by the bloc.

When condemning his Eurosceptic foes to eternal damnation, the European Council President had the air of a pleased-with-himself politician trotting out a carefully rehearsed line, rather than one making a casual off-the-cuff jibe. To ram home his point the Eurocrat then repeated his outburst on Twitter after the press briefing.

“I’ve been wondering what that special place in Hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely,” he wrote on the social media site.

His chortling response to Irish Premier Leo Varadkar’s warning that his remarks would trigger “terrible trouble” also suggested he knew exactly what he was doing.

The backlash against his remark from the Cabinet and beyond was last night dominating Brexit headlines.

It meant barely any attention has been given to signs that EU leaders are getting jittery about the possibility of the UK quitting the bloc without a deal at a time when much of the Continent is on the brink of recession.

Mr Tusk and fellow Eurocrats have repeatedly said they do not want a no-deal Brexit.

Behind his words was an understanding that the bloc will have to engage with Theresa May’s demands for a revamped deal to avoid that outcome.