‘This is false’: Jean-Claude Juncker's top aide denies leak about 'tormented' Theresa May
3 min read
Jean Claude Juncker’s top aide has rejected accusations that he was responsible for revealing the highly personal details of a Brexit dinner last week.
Following the meeting last monday, reports emerged that an an “anxious”, “despondent” and “tormented” Theresa May had “begged” Jean Claude Juncker for help.
Nick Timothy - Mrs May’s former chief of staff - then took to Twitter to blame Martin Selmayr, who has been accused of leaking private details of meetings before, and said the leak was a reminder “some in Brussels want no deal or a punitive one”.
But Mr Selmayr hit back, firing out a string of tweets rejecting he was responsible for the leak and denying that Mr Juncker had even made the comments.
Mrs May met chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker for dinner last Monday. In a joint statement following the meeting, the pair described it as “constructive and friendly”.
However, a report from German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) claimed Mr Claude Juncker had described Mrs May as “a woman who trusts hardly anyone but is also not ready for a clear-out to free herself".
The paper stated: “She indicated that back home friend and foe are at her back plotting to bring her down.
“May said she had no room left to manoeuvre. The Europeans have to create it for her."
"May's face and appearance spoke volumes, Juncker later told his colleagues," the paper added. "She has deep rings under her eyes. She looks like someone who can't sleep a wink."
This follows previous leaked reports from an April meeting, in which Mr Claude Juncker was said to have remarked: “I leave Downing Street ten times as sceptical as I was before.”
The comment sparked further tensions between Westminster and the EU, with Mrs May accusing “bureaucrats in Brussels” of trying to interfere in the UK’s general election by undermining the Conservatives.
Mr Claude Juncker later described the leak as a “serious mistake”.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
