Von Der Leyen admitted that European leaders had “goofed up” over the departure of Britain from the bloc and suggested the younger generation could “fix” it.
The President of the European Commission has claimed that the UK is on a clear “direction of travel” towards rejoining the EU, and urged the younger generation to fix the mistake of Brexit.
Her comments, which caused a backlash from Downing Street, were made during an awards ceremony staged by Politico on Tuesday night.
Von Der Leyen admitted that European leaders had “goofed up” over the departure of Britain from the bloc and suggested the younger generation could “fix” it.
Asked if the UK could ever rejoin the EU, she replied: “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.”
However, Sunak’s official spokesperson, rejected the claims. He said: “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.”
Von Der Leyen’s comments come at a time when one poll showed that 57% of people believe Britain was wrong to leave the EU, compared to 33% who believe it was right to leave.
The tide of public opinion continues to turn against Brexit, with one poll for YouGov this year showing that support for re-joining the EU at 63%.
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