Brexit is costing the UK its international status across the world, EU president warns

Jean-Claude Juncker said he thought a deal could be reached and 'hard Brexit' avoided

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (EbS)

Britain’s departure from the European Union is costing the country its international “status” across the world, the president of the European Commission has warned.

Jean-Claude Juncker said he expected the EU and UK to forge a deal and avoid a so-called “hard Brexit” – but poured cold water on Theresa May’s ambition for the departure to lead to the rise of a “great trading nation” respected across the globe.

The Commission President also downplayed his interest in the negotiations arguing that the UK’s departure was a subject that “should be of concern to the British, primarily, and of less concern to Europeans”.

“Negotiations are underway and obviously once the UK has left the European Union it will no longer have the same status as it had, either regards Europe or the international scene,” he told the Euronews channel.

A group of around 60 eurosceptic Conservative MPs have signed a letter, leaked to The Times newspaper, calling for Theresa May to quit deadlocked negotiations with Brussels and leave the bloc without a deal.

Speaking on Thursday Mr Juncker however said he did not think such a “hard Brexit” would happen.

“My working hypothesis is there would be a deal, I don’t want to imagine a situation where the UK would just leave the EU without a deal and say goodbye to all of us without an arrangement for the future. I don’t envisage a hard Brexit,” he said.

When asked why he had not focused more on Brexit in his State of the Union speech on Wednesday in Strasbourg, he argued that Brexit had “already become the past”.

“I think this subject should be of concern to the British, primarily, and of less concern to Europeans. I don’t want to preach to people or try and educate them about Brexit, I’ve had many opportunities to do that. Brexit isn’t the future, it has already become the past.”

He also dismissed suggestions that he would try to “punish” the UK for leaving to deter other countries, stating that he didn’t “know of any other country that would be tempted to leave the EU”

“I don’t want to punish or sanction or make the British people suffer. I like them too much and they have been in Europe for a long time, and that has benefited all of us. I don’t have any hard feelings vis-à-vis the UK,” he said.

During his state of the union address at the European Parliament Mr Juncker said Britain would “regret” its departure from the bloc, as he laid out new plans to tighten European integration and reform the EU’s institutions. He clarified today that he did not mean the comment about the UK to be a “threat”.