Guy Verhofstadt has claimed the suggestion that Brexit can be made to work is a "delusion" as he called for Britain and Brussels to rethink their relationship.
The MEP who chaired the European Parliament’s Brexit steering group tweeted: "British politicians are far behind public opinion.
"Making Brexit work is a delusion. Time for pro-Europeans to put a roadmap for a different relationship on the table!"
The comments were made in response to reports of a cross-party conference being held last week which looked at "making Brexit work better".
Senior Tories including Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, reportedly attended the conference at Ditchley Park in Oxfordshire along with Labour politicians and business leaders.
It came amid growing optimism that the UK and the EU will agree a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol in the next fortnight after a long-running row between the two sides over post-Brexit border rules.
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