Donald Tusk has accused Boris Johnson of playing a "stupid blame game" suggesting that the UK Prime Minister does 'not want a deal.'
Tweeting the Prime Minister, the President of the European Council wrote: "What’s at stake is not winning some stupid blame game. At stake is the future of Europe and the UK as well as the security and interests of our people. You don’t want a deal, you don’t want an extension, you don’t want to revoke, quo vadis?"
He signed off his tweet "quo vadis" meaning where are you going.
.@BorisJohnson, what’s at stake is not winning some stupid blame game. At stake is the future of Europe and the UK as well as the security and interests of our people. You don’t want a deal, you don’t want an extension, you don’t want to revoke, quo vadis?
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) October 8, 2019
Downing Street has accused Brussels of making it “impossible” for Britain to leave the European Union with a deal.
READ MORE: Brexit deal on brink of collapse after Johnson-Merkel call
Following a call between Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel, a Number 10 source said the German Chancellor had made it clear that the EU had taken a “new position” following the tabling of the latest UK plan last week.
“She made clear a deal is overwhelmingly unlikely and she thinks the EU has a veto on us leaving the customs union,” the source, quoted by Sky News, said.
Mr Johnson had proposed keeping Northern Ireland aligned with EU single market rules, but taking it out of the EU customs union, creating the need for controversial customs checks.
READ MORE: EU leaders unmoved by 'outstretched hand' of Boris Johnson
The UK government’s attempt to shift the blame for the Brexit fiasco to anyone but themselves - today it’s Merkel - is pathetically transparent.
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 8, 2019
The plan also gave the pro-Brexit DUP an effective veto over the single market element.
Mrs Merkel was reported to have told the PM a deal depended on Northern Ireland staying in the customs union, creating an all-Ireland backstop.
According to the BBC, the Number 10 source said: "Talks in Brussels are close to breaking down, despite the fact that the UK has moved a long way."
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