Ireland’s PM Leo Varadkar threatens to veto Brexit trade talks and compares UK to a cheating wife
The Taoiseach suggested that Brexiteers had not 'thought all this through'
IRELAND's leader reduced Brexit talks to a new low last night after likening Theresa May to a want-away wife who wants to sleep around.
At the same time, EU chief Donald Tusk turned up the heat on the PM by insisting “much more progress” was still needed from Britain for crunch trade talks to begin in December.
After meeting the Prime Minister in Gothenburg, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar launched an extraordinary broadside against Britain as they threatened to veto vital Brexit trade talks next month and demanded a five year transition phase.
He blasted: "After 40 years of marriage, most of them good, now Britain wants a divorce but an open relationship the day after."
And he insisted Theresa May give him a written promise in "practical terms" of how the frictionless border will work after Brexit for citizens and goods.
The Irish chief demanded December’s EU Council meeting include the specific pledge in a form of words or he will block crucial future trade talks between Brussels and London.
Speaking on the fringes of the EU’s Social Summit, Mr Varadkar took aim at Britain.
He said: "It's 18 months since the referendum, it's 10 years since people who wanted a referendum started agitating for one.
"Sometimes it doesn't seem like they have thought all this through."
At the frosty meeting in Sweden’s second city, Mrs May told her Irish counterpart that Brexit negotiators were "almost there" on the tricky post-Brexit Irish border issues, claiming “all sides on the same page.”
But the furious Irish government quickly branded Mrs May’s remarks "wishful thinking".
No 10 described the Gothenburg meeting as “constructive”, but Government sources conceded there is still some way to go before a solution could be found.
Meanwhile relations with Dublin sunk to a further low as Boris Johnson visited his Irish opposite number who demanded a five-year transition phase for Britain’s EU exit.
The surprise proposal was immediately rejected by the Foreign Secretary who reaffirmed Britain's desire for a two year exit.
Boris insisted that it was possible for Brexit to happen “within a much shorter timescale” than the five years suggested in a surprise move by Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney.
Last night the Democratic Unionists accused the Irish Government of trying to thwart the referendum result.
MP Sammy Wilson said: "It is clear now that the Irish Government are fully signed up with the European establishment to thwart the referendum result in the United Kingdom to leave the EU.”
"Firstly, the Irish Government are trying to block the UK moving on to substantive negotiations about leaving the EU and then suggesting that an interim or transitional period of five years is going to be needed before we can leave.
"The objective is quite clear - keep the UK chained to the EU until after the next election when the Irish Government hope that Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit-breaking MPs might be in power."
The blistering attacks came as Theresa May dropped her clearest hint yet that Britain will talk money with Brussels to kick start Brexit trade talks next month.
It followed The Sun’s revelation on Wednesday that the Government were drawing up plans to pay up to break the deadlock with a new financial offer.
EU plans to impose one education policy on the whole of Europe
EU leaders last night signed up to plans to integrate education policy across Europe.
Moving towards Brussels control of what kids are taught across the continent is just one of 20 pledges contained in the new European Pillar of Social Rights.
The plan has been drawn up to create an ever closer union between the remaining 27 EU countries.
The document contains dozens of commitments for EU members on areas including education, unemployment benefits, equal opportunities and the right to "fair wages".
It is designed to try counter growing Eurosceptic feeling across the EU, with loathed Eurocrat Jean-Claude Juncker declaring it was an opportunity "to seek out common solutions".
Signing the document the emotional EU Commission President said it was “a landmark moment for Europe.
“Our Union has always been a social project at heart."
He went on: “It's more than just a single market and more than money. It's about our values and the way we want to live.”
Brussels has demanded clarity on what Britain will pay for when we leave in order to green light further talks at December's meeting of all EU leaders.
Speaking at the EU summit, the PM said “we will honour our commitments… but of course we want to move forward together, talking about the trade issues and trade partnership for the future."
She later held face to face talks with EU Council boss Donald Tusk and French President Emmanuel Macron as part of a Brexit charm offensive ahead of December's crunch decision.
No 10 hinted the thorny subject of financial commitments was discussed behind closed doors, saying the talks focussed on “further steps forward together in advance of the European Council in December."
But Mr Tusk warned the EU “will be ready to move on to the second phase already in December, but in order to do that we need to see more progress from the UK side.”
He added: "While good progress on citizens' rights is being made, we need to see much more progress on Ireland and on the financial settlement."
And he insisted that this "needs to happen at the beginning of December at the latest" or he would be unable to green light trade talks this year.”
After the summit concluded Mr Tusk struck a much warmer tone, telling reporters there was "good will visible on both sides" and said he was "cautious but optimistic" about December breakthrough.
He insisted that he felt "much better and safer" after talks with Mrs May on Friday.
Speaking on her way home to Britain, Mrs May said: "We have agreed that good progress has been made, more does need to be done.”
MOST READ IN POLITICS
Five-year Brexit transition needed, Irish Foreign Minister says
IRELAND could need up to FIVE YEARS to get ready for Brexit, the country's Foreign Minister has said.
Simon Coveney said today after a meeting with Boris Johnson that talks are not ready to move on to trade - as we are still no nearer to solving the Northern Ireland border issue.
He told reporters: "We all want to move on to phase two, but we are not in a place to do that."
And he said that he thinks there should be a much longer transition period that British ministers are currently pushing for.
"I think the appropriate timetable is closer to four or five years than it is to two," he said today.
The Foreign Secretary said he thought it was possible to do it in a "much shorter timetable".
Theresa May has said up to two years would be suitable to get us ready to leave the EU properly.
And he added that ";nobody wants to see a return to the hard border" between the North and Republic of Ireland.
Issues of the border are tied up in our future relationship and talks must progress before these issues can be solved, he stressed.