Fury as ‘deluded’ EU chief says reversing Brexit is ‘direction of travel’

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was called “deluded” last night for saying Brexit should be reversed – admitting: “We goofed it up.”

The Brussels supremo said the “direction of travel” is for the UK to rejoin as the next generation looks to “fix” it. 

She was last night told to focus on her own problems as Downing Street issued a slapdown denying Brexit was in peril.

At a swanky awards bash on Tuesday, Commission President Ms von der Leyen was asked whether Britain could ever go back into the bloc.

The former German defence minister said: “I must say, I keep telling my children: ‘You have to fix it. We goofed it up, you have to fix it’.

“So I think here too, the direction of travel – my personal opinion – is clear.”

She further singled out the recent Windsor Framework deal on Northern Ireland as a sign of a “new beginning for old friends”.

Tory MP Marco Longhi said: “She is deluded. I’m sure she’d be happy for the UK to rejoin and start again being a net contributor to their budgets. No chance.”

Former Cabinet Minister David Jones last night shot back that the British people are “grown up who decided to exercise their right to leave the EU.”

He added: “They should also consider why so many member states are unhappy about the acquisition powers by Brussels at their expense”.

Asked if Rishi Sunak agreed with Ms von der Leyen, his spokesman said: “No. It’s through our Brexit freedoms that we are, right now, considering how to further strengthen our migration system.

“It is through our Brexit freedoms we are ensuring patients in the UK can get access to medicines faster, that there is improved animal welfare. That is very much what we are focused on.”