French president Emmanuel Macron has delivered a blistering attack on Brexit, claiming it has “torn British society apart” and that it “can’t be delivered”.
Mr Macron blasted “false” figures given by the Leave campaign ahead of the 2016 referendum, saying the EU divorce that people voted for won’t happen.
He was reported as saying: “People are starting to realise that all the figures they were given are entirely false, and what they were told could be done overnight in fact can't be delivered.
“And in the end it's going to cost them. In this context do you think that the referendum was a good thing?
“No, because it didn't allow for an informed, transparent and calm debate. It's torn a society apart, and it's left it open to disinformation coming from abroad, or terrible manipulation.”
Mr Macron’s attack came amid bitter divides on Brexit in the UK, which have included Leavers and Remainers screaming at each other in the streets outside Parliament.
Even the Queen appeared to speak out on the matter, urging people to seek "common ground" and "never lose sight of the bigger picture". The comments have been interpreted by some as a veiled reference to the toxic mood of the public debate around Brexit.
The monarch, in a speech on Thursday to mark the centenary of the Sandringham Women's Institute, also extolled the virtues of "respecting" the other person's point of view.
Meanwhile, the government itself remains in crisis, with just 63 days to go until the scheduled exit day of March 29.
Pressure has mounted on Prime Minister Theresa May to rule out a no-deal Brexit after Amber Rudd hinted she could resign from the government to stop the UK crashing out of the EU without an agreement.
The work and pensions secretary, a prominent Remain supporter, said she was going to "wait and see" if Mrs May allows a free vote on a series of amendments to her Brexit "plan B" on Tuesday.
During an interview with BBC Two's Newsnight, Ms Rudd was asked three times whether she would quit the Cabinet to back a bid by Labour's Yvette Cooper to extend Article 50 unless a deal is reached by the end of February.
She said: "At this stage I'm going to stick to trying to persuade the Government to allow it to be a free vote.
"There is a lot taking place and there are a lot of new amendments.
"We'll have to wait and see."
Ms Rudd told the programme she is "committed to making sure we avoid no-deal", which she described as "the worst possible outcome".
