Farage accuses EU Parliament of ‘declaring war’ on Brexit talks

Outgoing UKIP leader Nigel Farage has accused the European Parliament of “a declaration of war” on the Brexit talks after naming MEP Guy Verhofstadt as its chief negotiator.

He told fellow MEPs that the former Belgian Prime Minister was the “high priest” of federalism and that he should be replaced by someone who “likes the UK”.

”If you were to think of this building [the EU Parliament] as a temple, well, Mr Verhofstadt is the high priest A fanatic. In fact, there is only really one nationalist in this room and it’s you [Verhofstadt] because you want flags, anthems, armies…you’re an EU nationalist,” he said. “I frankly think that this amounts to pretty much a declaration of war on any sensible negotiation process.

“I think we really need is for this Parliament to recognize it has made a mistake and find someone who actually likes the UK to lead these talks.”

Although Verhofstadt, who leads the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats group in the European Parliament, will not actually lead the EU’s negotiations with the UK, the EP has said he will have a “central role” in the discussions. The European Parliament’s approval is required before any settlement is agreed with the UK.

The Belgian MEP said he was not out for revenge against the UK and called for and to what he described as the “collective depression on both sides of the channel” following last June’s Brexit referendum.

“Brexit is not a liability,” he said. “I see it more as an opportunity…The British government wants to make from Brexit a success. Fair enough; it’s their duty.

“But we also have our duty. And our duty, our responsibility is to make from Brexit a success for Europe, for all the citizens of Europe. Brexit is not a matter of punishment, it’s not a matter of revenge…it’s in my opinion a question of the sound relations between Britain and Europe.”

Throwing his weight behind the European Commission’s plans for a common European military force, Verhofstadt said the solution to the rise of Euroscepticism was “not to kill Europe but to reinvent Europe”.

Europe’s other main Brexit negotiators will be Belgian diplomat Didier Seeuws and French finance expert and former EU Commissioner Michel Barnier, representing the European Council and the European Commission respectively.