EU slams Britain for playing ‘stupid blame game’ as Boris Johnson fails to bridge Brexit impasse

According to a Downing Street source, Germany’s Angela Merkel said after talks with British PM Boris Johnson that a deal was ‘overwhelmingly unlikely’

The failure to bridge the impasse led the European Council chief to lash out at the UK, saying ‘what’s at stake is not winning some stupid blame game’

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Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo: AP

Published: 9:25pm, 8 Oct 2019Updated: 9:33pm, 8 Oct 2019

The European Union on Tuesday accused Britain of playing a “stupid blame game” over Brexit after a Downing St source said a deal was “essentially impossible” because German Chancellor Angela Merkel had made unacceptable demands.

With just 23 days before Britain is due to leave the bloc, the future of Brexit remains deeply uncertain and both London and Brussels are positioning themselves to avoid blame for a delay or a disorderly no-deal Brexit.

In a sign that Johnson’s last-ditch proposals to bridge the impasse have failed, a Downing Street source said Merkel and British leader Boris Johnson spoke on Tuesday morning and she made clear that a deal was “overwhelmingly unlikely”.

The source said that if Merkel’s position on Northern Ireland remaining in the EU’s customs union was the bloc’s position, then a deal was impossible.

“If this represents a new established position then it means a deal is essentially impossible not just now but ever,” the Downing Street source said.