The EU Parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt took to the stage at Lib Dem conference this evening to claim the EU is “acting too little” and needs to become an empire, to rapturous applause. At least he’s being more honest than previous Lib Dem speakers…
Olly Robbins’ Brussels indiscretions have landed him in hot water again – this time it’s Guy Verhofstadt who’s dobbed him in. A laughing Verhofstadt reveals in BBC4’s new behind-the-scenes Brexit documentary that Olly Robbins came to him and said:
“Guy, can I become a Belgian citizen after this whole thing? Because I don’t think I will return.”
The clip – a teaser for tonight’s episode – also includes one of Verhofstadt’s staffers celebrating: “We finally turned them into a colony! And that was our plan from the first moment.” This is not going to do anything to ease Brexiteer suspicions about the May/Robbins deal…
Tonight BBC 4 are airing a documentary showing the inside workings of the EU negotiating team. The Sun reports that at one point Guy Verhofstadt’s chief aide fawns over him after a conversation with Tory MP Andrew Rosindell, saying:
“I’m most proud of you when you take on a Tory… You should shoot* the f***ers out.”
Rozza tells Guido:
“I didn’t hear anyone say they were going to “shoot me”, but to be frank, I really couldn’t care less what this arrogant little man’s people have to say. We Brits and especially Essex folk are made of stronger stuff. If it’s true, he really needs to calm down and behave like a responsible politician . He represents a failing project and is obviously very bitter, but I will always defend Brexit and our great country against those that want to keep us locked under control of the EU!”
Good diplomacy job from Verhofstadt as ever…
*Could be shoo, audio is not clear.
The EU Parliament’s ‘Brexit Coordinator’ Guy Verhofstadt got in a spot of hot water this morning when he told his Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe group conference this morning that he doesn’t like the term “EU Commission” because it sounds like something from the Soviet Union. Which it does.
This is the very same Guy Verhofstadt who blasted Jeremy Hunt’s far less direct comparison, calling for an apology and describing Hunt’s comments as “offensive and outrageous… especially to those millions of Europeans that lived under Soviet occupation.” Like his FBPE fans, Verhofstadt is an expert in only getting outraged when it suits him…
Arron Banks issued a legal letter to Guy Verhofstadt last night ordering the European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator to retract a tweet accusing him of being a “Putin cheerleader”. Banks’s lawyers say the bizarre tweet from arch-Europhile Verhofstadt defames him and that Verhofstadt’s allegations “are false.” Verhofstadt also accused Nigel Farage, who Guido understands is thinking hard about his options in response. Tough claim for Verhofstadt to defend, he’ll surely have to retract…
It’s all kicking off between Nigel Farage and Guy Verhofstadt. The European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator has boldly accused Nige of taking Kremlin money:
Europe has a fifth column in its ranks: Putin’s cheerleaders who want to destroy Europe & liberal democracy from within: Le Pen, Wilders, Farage, Orbàn, Kaczynski, Salvini use Kremlin money & intel. Like Farage’s friend Arron Banks, who colluded w/ Russians to deliver #Brexit
— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) June 13, 2018
Farage says that is a lie:
This is a baseless lie.
I have never received any Russian financial or political support.
I suggest you withdraw. https://t.co/jxb0YrrwVc
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) June 13, 2018
Can Guy back up his claims? If not it looks like Farage could lawyer up…
EU Parliament #Brexit Coordinator @guyverhofstadt pours cold water on idea @theresa_may can pick and choose which EU regulations UK diverges from after we leave. #marr pic.twitter.com/ZTmcCMNrkr
— Jason Keen (@Jason_Keen) February 18, 2018
#marr: Can the UK have a ‘Canada Plus Plus Plus #Brexit deal? @guyverhofstadt: “That will not be the outcome of this negotiation.” pic.twitter.com/MCtdwuuXTV
— Jason Keen (@Jason_Keen) February 18, 2018
Guy Verhofstadt tells Marr the EU does not want Britain to diverge and makes veiled threats about any attempt to do so. He also says a bespoke “Canada plus plus plus” deal “will not be the outcome of this negotiation”. If Verhofstadt gets his way it’s either a bad deal or no deal…
Once again it falls to Guido to point out the nonsense being pushed by Remainers today. The latest “row” confected by pro-Remain elements of the media claims David Davis committed some heinous gaffe by noting that last week’s deal is not strictly speaking legally binding. Today’s Times leader accuses DD of “undermining” the deal, taking the Guy Verhofstadt line that his comments “undermined trust”. Except, as with everything Verhofstadt says, this isn’t based in reality…
Yesterday a spokesman for the European Commission confirmed the deal is “formally speaking not legally binding”, and that it was merely an agreement “between gentlemen”. In other words Davis was right. Even the Remainers’ preferred legal expert Gina Miller agreed that it isn’t legally binding on Marr on Sunday. Davis and Verhofstadt have spoken this afternoon to agree to “get it converted into legal text as soon as possible”, something which has to be done because it isn’t binding in its current form. Guido is sure someone at the Commission could explain this slowly to the Times’ Brexit-hating leader writers…
In July Juncker appointed hardline Britain-basher Michel Barnier as his chief Brexit negotiator, today the Conference of Presidents has named Guy Verhofstadt as his counterpart. What can we expect from Farage’s old bête noire? The week after the referendum result, Verhofstadt mused: “The rats are fleeing the sinking ship”. Though he also made some surprisingly sensible comments post-Brexit:
“Stop sleepwalking to a disaster. Either the EU will change, or it will die. The Council needs to recognise that citizens are not against Europe, but against this Europe.”
He was right about that…
Pro-Brexit Tory MEP leader Syed Kamall responds to Guy Verhofstadt’s calls for further integration. Superb.
H/T Peter Spiegel
Guido has many times enjoyed Nigel Farage giving Guy Verhofstadt a tongue lashing. This time liberal Guy is the one doing the venting, demanding that Syriza implement actual reforms rather than just pay lip-service to them. Verhofstadt in “talking sense shocker”…
