Jean-Claude Juncker has admitted that he made a “mistake” in failing to speak out against the “lies” circulating during Britain’s EU referendum campaign.
During a press conference in Brussels, the European Commission president said the commission could have destroyed the “lies” circulating before the UK voted to leave the EU.
However, Mr Juncker said that he had accepted the advice of former Prime Minister David Cameron, who he said urged him not to get involved with the Brexit campaign.
“The then prime minister asked me not to interfere, not to intervene in the referendum campaign," he said. “It was a mistake not to intervene and not to interfere because we would have been the only ones to destroy the lies which were circulated around.
"I was wrong to be silent at an important moment.”
Asked if he now believed the UK might stay in the EU, Mr Juncker made light of the Brexit uncertainty, saying he had given up trying to guess British intentions.
Echoing a remark that he had made earlier in his presentation that "nobody understands England but everybody understands English", Mr Juncker repeated a recent comment likening British Parliament to the enigmatic Sphinx of ancient Egypt.
"Either they will stay or they will leave," Mr Juncker added. "If they stay they stay, if they leave they leave."
His comments came as negotiations between the Government and Labour on trying to end the Brexit impasse continued on Tuesday amid growing impatience over Theresa May’s failure to name a clear resignation date.
Mrs May has said she will step down if her Withdrawal Agreement is ratified, but has not made clear how long she intends to stay if no deal is reached.
The deadline for Brexit has been extended to the end of October.
