Brexit will be ‘sad and tragic’, says EU chief

President says Europe will still prosper, however

Britain will soon regret voting for Brexit but the European Union will move on, the European Commission president has insisted.

In a speech setting out the future direction of the bloc, Jean-Claude Juncker said the UK’s exit would be a “sad and tragic” moment but it was “not the be-all and end-all”.

Mr Juncker evoked the Queen to describe how Brexit helped to make 2016 an “annus horribilis” for the European project.

However, during the annual state of the union address, he insisted the “wind is back in Europe’s sails” and countries were knocking on Brussels’ door to do trade deals with the EU.

Setting out hopes for closer integration, Mr Juncker announced plans to increase passport-free movement around the EU, expand use of the euro and boost the number of member states.

But in the hour-long speech, Brexit was given a notably short slot near the end.

Mr Juncker said: “This will be a very sad and tragic moment in our history. We will always regret this and I think that you will regret it as well, soon.

“Nonetheless, we have to respect the will of the British people. But we are going to make progress. We will move on because Brexit isn’t everything, it’s not the future of everything, it’s not the be-all and end-all.”

In a letter circulated as he made his speech, Mr Juncker said the past 12 months had been “challenging” for Europe.

He wrote: “2016 was in many ways an ‘annus horribilis’ for the European project. From the Brexit referendum, to the terrorist attacks, to slow growth and continued high unemployment in several of our member states, to the ongoing migration crisis, Europe was challenged in many ways.”

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage described Mr Juncker’s address as “the most open, honest and truly worrying” speech he had heard in his time as an MEP.

Addressing the Parliament, Mr Farage added: “All I can say is, ‘Thank God we’re leaving’.

“You have learned nothing from Brexit. If you had given (David) Cameron concessions, particularly on immigration, the Brexit vote, I have to admit, would never, ever have happened. And yet the lesson you take is that you are going to centralise and move on to this very worrying, undemocratic union.”

We will always regret this and I think that you will regret it as well, soon. JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER