Juncker jokes it would be 'good for Britain' if HE was prime minister

Jean-Claude Juncker has quipped that Britain would be in a better state if he was in charge.

The EU commission president made the remark at an informal meeting of the EU heads of government today (Friday).

He said: “I am not the British prime minister. It would be good for Britain if I was, but I’m not.”

The remark followed a meeting at Chequers yesterday of Theresa May’s Brexit “war cabinet”, when ministers agreed a broad policy for the next stage of negotiations, on trade.

Mr Juncker’s commission, led by chief negotiator Michel Barnier, is responsible for coordinating the EU’s work on Britain’s withdrawal and conducting exit talks.

He has long been a bete noire for Brexiteers, and David Cameron unsuccessfully attempted to stop his nomination as Commission president in 2014.

Theresa May is to deliver a long-awaited speech setting out her vision for Britain’s future relationship with the European Union later today, Downing Street has confirmed.

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Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt – who was not at the meeting at Chequers – said the Government will pursue a policy putting Britain outside a customs union with the European Union but matching Brussels rules in certain sectors in an attempt to achieve “frictionless” trade.

The policy puts Mrs May on a collision course with Tory Brexit rebels who are backing an amendment to the Trade Bill which would mandate the UK to form a customs union with Brussels on leaving the EU.

And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is widely predicted to give his blessing to a customs union arrangement with the EU in his own speech on Monday, in which he is expected to give greater clarity on his party’s Brexit policy.

Mrs May’s official spokesman said the Chequers meeting had been “very positive … and a step forward, agreeing the basis of the Prime Minister’s speech on our future relationship”.