Angela Merkel 'furious' about Brexit dinner leaks against Theresa May
2 min read
Angela Merkel was left “furious” after highly personal details emerged of Theresa May’s Brexit dinner last week, it has been reported.
According to the Times, the German Chancellor is concerned that the leaks, which claimed Mrs May “begged” Jean-Claude Juncker for help, could topple the Prime Minister.
The report in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung sais a source had described Mrs May as "anxious, despondent and disheartened”.
Written from the perspective of EU officials, it suggested Mrs May faced a “struggle” in her own party and that she “looks like someone who doesn't sleep at night.”
Mrs Merkel reportedly expressed her frustration with over the stalled Brexit talks, but warned that the leaks could result in negotiations collapsing altogether.
A source told The Times: “Angela Merkel is furious at these reports. It is known that she has lost patience with the British Conservatives but the last thing she wants is for Theresa May to be replaced in the middle of the Brexit negotiations.”
However Mr Juncker told the BBC “nothing is true” in the account and the dinner had been “excellent”.
“I am really surprised - if not shocked - about what has been written in the German press, and of course repeated by the British press," he said.
“Nothing is true in all of this. I had an excellent working dinner with Theresa May.
“She was in good shape, she was not tired, she was fighting as is her duty so everything for me was ok.”
Downing Street yesterday refused to comment on the paper's report.
The Commission president’s comments come after his aide, Martin Selmayr, vehemently refuted accusations that he had been responsible for the leaks from former Number 10 aide, Nick Timothy.
Engaging in a fiery Twitter feud, he said the claims aimed to "frame" and "undermine" the European Union.
