Cable humiliated as EU leaders deny backing his call for new Brexit vote
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable was left humiliated after fellow liberal leaders across the EU publicly denied backing a call for a second Brexit referendum hours after the party trumpeted their support.
The Lib Dems initially claimed that eight EU leaders had signed a statement backing demands for the British public to have the final say on any Brexit deal in a second referendum on Europe.
A joint statement from the prime ministers of the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Fin- land, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and Estonia, as well as the former prime minister of Slovenia, was released after Mr Cable travelled to Brussels for a meeting on the margins of the European Council.
However, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe (ALDE) group swiftly tweeted: “Pertaining to the Libdem press release issued today on Brexit: at the ALDE leaders meeting of 22 March no statement has been agreed upon or released.”
The Lib Dem leader had claimed the statement showed that other EU states would “welcome an exit from Brexit with open arms”.
Party officials insisted the statement had been “verbally agreed”. Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte did say it would be “highly welcomed” if the UK “would decide to change its position” on Brexit.