European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker complained of “Brexit fatigue” Thursday, as he said he was no longer optimistic about avoiding a so-called no-deal Brexit, remarks which will cheer many Brexiteers who see a full no-deal Brexit as the only way to truly leave the European Union.
With just 36 days to go until the United Kingdom is due to leave the European Union, top Eurocrat Jean-Claude Juncker indicated he’d had enough of talking about Brexit when asked about it in a Brussels committee, remarking: “I didn’t intend to address the Brexit issue any more because I have something like a Brexit fatigue, you know? Because this is a disaster.”
His comments came just hours after meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May. In the lead-up to the meeting, Juncker told journalists he didn’t think there was much point meeting with her, saying: “I am meeting Mrs. May tomorrow evening, and there is not enough movement for me to be able to assume that it will be a productive discussion… I don’t know what Mrs. May will tell me tomorrow.”
Despite the efforts of British and European negotiators to keep the United Kingdom inside the European Union to the greatest extent possible through a negotiated ‘deal’ that would tie the nation to the continental power bloc, Juncker admitted Thursday that he feared the work may come to nothing.
Noting his belief that the UK leaving Europe without an agreement would have “terrible” consequences, the Eurocrat said Thursday: “We are trying to deliver our best efforts in order to have this Brexit being organised in a proper, civilised, well-thought-out way… But we are not there, because in the British parliament there is, every time they are voting, a majority against something, there is never a majority in favour of something.
“If a no-deal would happen – and I can’t exclude this – this would have terrible economic and social consequences, both in Britain and on the continent, and so my efforts orient in a way that the worst can be avoided.
“But I am not very optimistic when it comes to this issue.”
Despite the prospect of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union fully on March 29th, The Times reports that rebel MPs and even members of the cabinet are prepared to divert the Brexit process to stop the country leaving the EU at all, if it means leaving without a deal. An amendment by Yvette Cooper which would be supported by these rebels would remove the “threat” of the United Kingdom leaving the EU in March, the paper claimed.
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox was in Brussels Thursday to speak with EU negotiators but failed to make breakthroughs. A government spokesman said of the meetings: “They discussed the positions of both sides and agreed to focus on what we can do to conclude a successful deal as soon as possible… talks should now continue urgently at a technical level.”
Oliver JJ Lane is the editor of Breitbart London — Follow him on Twitter and Facebook