Juncker: I keep names of enemies in a black book

EU boss Jean- Claude Juncker has admitted he keeps a ‘little black book’ with the names of people who have betrayed him.

The European Commission president said he calls the book, ‘Little Maurice’.

‘It’s where for 30 years I’ve made a note when someone betrays me,’ he said.

The former prime minister of Luxembourg would not reveal who was named in it, but said it ‘doesn’t have many entries, because people rarely betray me’.

He told Belgian newspaper Le Soir: ‘I’ve never taken revenge, [but] I take my precautions. The book’s name comes from a common German expression: The bitterness of little Maurice.

‘In Luxembourg, when someone was irritating me, I would say, “Careful, Little Maurice is waiting for you”.’ Mr Juncker is expected to take a hardline against Britain over Brexit negotiations. He last week appointed Frenchman Michel Barnier as the Commission’s lead negotiator.

Yesterday he defended the choice, saying: ‘Michel Barnier is a good guy. The British don’t like him but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t like the British.’

Meanwhile, it emerged last night that Britain could face a demand from Brussels for billions of pounds towards pensions for Eurocrats when it leaves the European Union. The country could be asked to con- tribute towards the £50billion total pension liability for all current and retired EU officials, the Financial Times reported.

EU pensions are covered on a ‘pay-asyou-go’ basis from the EU budget rather than through employee contributions invested into a fund. Around 1,730 Britons make up the 22,000 retired EU officials drawing pensions at present.

Felix Geradon, deputy secretary-general of Union Syndicale Bruxelles, the largest union of EU civil servants, said Britain would be expected to guarantee its part of pension rights accrued to date.