Officials claim Brussels are engaged in 'smears' to undermine UK
1 min read
British officials have claimed the European Commission is deliberately leaking to try and damage the UK's Brexit negotiating team.
The Sun on Sunday reports government sources are angry at "smears" emanating from Brussels, which they say are aimed at undermining Brexit Secretary David Davis.
Some apparently even believe that allies of Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has set up a "black ops" unit specifically to attack the UK.
One particularly damning report emerged after leaked details of a dinner meeting between Theresa May and Mr Juncker back in May.
The Brussels chief apparently left Downing St saying he was "ten times more sceptical" than when he arrived, while the Prime Minister dismissed the claims as "Brussels gossip".
One government source told the Sun on Sunday: “It’s clear their strategy is to weaken the UK’s position by making us look incompetent, weak or out of our depth.
“Hardly a single meeting has taken place without a damaging story about the British delegation appearing.
“More often than not it’s an over-spun account of a private discussion. Sometimes they are just smears.”
Another source said the "spiteful" leaking would backfire by showing that European officials are "a nasty lot".
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
