Menteurs! Outspoken Macron brands Brexiteers liars over benefits of quitting union
FRENCH president emmanuel Macron has called leading brexiteers “liars” in a hard-hitting outburst.
Macron spoke out as Theresa May suffered further humiliation at a summit in Salzburg, where her Chequers plan for brexit was ripped to shreds by other eU leaders.
Macron said: “Those who explain we can easily live without europe, that everything is going to be all right and that it’s going to bring a lot of money home are liars.”
Macron did not name the “liars”, but appeared to target Tory brexiteers like boris Johnson and Michael Gove who infamously pledged an extra £350million a week for the NHS.
Macron spoke at the end of an eU summit at which leaders shredded May’s Chequers plan and left her humiliated. He told reporters “The Chequers plan cannot be take it or leave it. it was a good and brave step by the Prime Minister but we all agreed on this today – the proposals in their current state are not acceptable.”
The Tory leader now faces a party conference showdown with brexiteers after european Council chief donald Tusk said the 27 remaining members were united in rejecting her plans.
Tusk killed off May’s hopes that brussels would blink first, saying: “The moment of truth for brexit talks will be the October european Council.”
A major sticking point was a deal on avoiding a hard border in ireland. Tusk said that eU member states will not sign up to a withdrawal agreement “without a solid, operational and legally binding irish backstop”.
May said her plans could be salvaged and threatened the UK could still walk away with no deal, adding: “There’s a lot of hard work to be done but i believe there’s willingness to do a deal.”
She was mocked by Tory brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who tweeted: “Chequers goes pop”.