Guy Verhofstadt mocks Theresa May’s Florence speech and takes swipe at Boris Johnson
2 min read
Theresa May’s decision to make her key Brexit speech in Florence was mocked last night by Guy Verhofstadt.
The European Parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator said the choice of city was “surreal” and joked about tensions at the top of the Tory party.
Speaking at an event at the London School of Economics, he said: "I think she chose Florence because Florentine politics in the 15th Century made her feel at home.
"Backstabbing, betrayal, noble families fighting for power... It is an environment that she recognised very well."
Mr Verhofstadt also appeared to take a swipe at Boris Johnson over his recent comments on British identity, branding them “totalitarian”.
In his 4,200-word Daily Telegraph setting out his Brexit vision, the Foreign Secretary wrote: “I look at so many young people with the 12 stars lipsticked on their faces and I am troubled with the thought that people are beginning to have genuinely split allegiances.”
But in a scathing rebuke, Mr Verhofstadt said: “Criticising people for wanting to keep their European identity, accusing them of split allegiance, is binary and old-fashioned. I think it's a reductionist view on identity.
"My message is: watch out, beware of politicians who want to define your identity. The only reason they do so is to categorise people, to reduce you to your nationality, your ethnicity, your religion. 'Split allegiance' are two words that belong to the language of states that are totalitarian, and not to democracies like Britain."
In his hour-long address, the top EU official went on to brand Brexit a “waste of time and energy” and called for further European integration without Britain.
On a more positive note, he also suggested a deal between the UK and the EU could be struck that would "hopefully be beneficial for both."
Asked if he had faith that the negotiation process would be a success, he concluded: “That is the assumption that I have and it’s towards that that we work.”
This follows a stark warning from Michel Barnier yesterday that it could be "months" before he could say "sufficient progress" had been made in the Brexit talks.
The EU's chief negotiator gave the grim assessment at a press conference alongside Brexit Secretary David Davis at the end of the fourth round of discussions.
He said: "We have had a constructive week, yes, but we are not yet there in terms of achieving sufficient progress. Further work is needed in the coming weeks and months.”
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