Tom Watson slams 'petulant and petty' Jean-Claude Juncker over Brexit comments
Tom Watson has launched a stinging attack on the ‘petulant and petty’ President of the European Commission for claiming the English language was losing importance in the wake of the Brexit vote.
Jean-Claude Juncker said he would be better off speaking French during a speech last week as he believed English was on the wane as far as Europeans were concerned.
His comments have been met with a furious response from Labour’s deputy leader, who said Mr Juncker’s attitude exemplified why so many Britons had voted to leave the EU.
The parliamentary candidate for West Bromwich East has called for clarification that all upcoming Brexit negotiations will be conducted in English.
Speaking exclusively to the Express & Star, Mr Watson, said: “Jean-Claude Juncker, the Brussels bureaucrat who heads the European Union, refused to speak English last week and used French instead because Britain has voted to leave the EU.
“That was a petulant, petty and provocative act that shows why so many Brits are fed up with the way unelected officials in the EU behave.
“I’m sure Mr Juncker doesn’t have a problem with the English language when he listens to the music this country produces or watches one of our world beating films or television series.
“Mr Juncker should remember that negotiations over our departure from the EU are a serious matter and they should be conducted in a serious way – in English.”
Mr Watson’s comments came after reports suggested German Chancellor Angela Merkel was furious with Mr Juncker over the leaking of details of a dinner meeting with Theresa May about Brexit.
The Prime Minister responded to claims she was ‘deluding herself’ as to the complexity of the Brexit negotiations by accusing the EU of meddling in the General Election.
She accused the EU of ‘maliciously leaking’ the content of the discussions to the meeting and said Mr Juncker’s account was flawed.
Mrs Merkel is said to have reacted angrily to the leak, describing it as ‘unhelpful’.
In a speech last week, Mrs May said there were some in Brussels ‘who do not want these talks to succeed, who do not want Britain to prosper’.
EU leaders have warned that the UK cannot simply ‘cherry pick’ membership terms once it leaves the bloc.
They have stressed that the final Brexit deal should not be better than full EU membership.
