DOWNING Street has refused to be drawn on reports that a “tormented” Theresa May “begged for help” from Jean-Claude Juncker as the European Commission President hit back at the claims.
A spokesman for Mr Juncker insisted the Commission chief would never have used the comments attributed to him after the high-profile dinner in Brussels last week aimed at easing tensions in the Brussels talks.
The denial came after German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported that the PM was said to have "begged for help" at last Monday's dinner and seemed "anxious" and "tormented" as well as "despondent and discouraged".
The Commission spokesman said: "Normally, we do not comment on leaks but today I will. Some people like to point at us to serve their own political agendas, their own political priorities, or even to undermine our negotiating position.
"We would appreciate if these people would leave us alone. We have lots of work and no time for gossip.
"I have to be very clear that President Juncker would have never used the words attributed to him, and never would he have said anything like this.
"We have never been punitive on Brexit. We have said, at all levels, on many occasions, that we are working for a fair deal."
Asked about the FAZ report, Mrs May’s spokesman said: "I have no comment on it whatsoever.
"One of the people who was present has denied this morning that it was the European Commission President has said it.
"I would point you to what is on the record, which is a joint statement by the European Commission and by Downing Street, which said that the talks were constructive and friendly."
The PM is bound to be asked about the claims when she gives a Commons update on last week’s European Council later today.
The row was intensified after Nick Timothy, her former aide, accused Martin Selmayr, Mr Juncker’s powerful chief of staff of leaking details of last week’s meeting to FAZ, claiming it illustrated EU efforts to derail Brexit negotiations.
Mr Timothy tweeted: “After constructive Council meeting, Selmayr does this. Reminder that some in Brussels want no deal or a punitive one.”
But Mr Selmayr hit back, writing on Twitter: “This is false. I know it doesn’t fit your cliché, @NickJTimothy. But @JunckerEU & I have no interest in weakening PM.”
The Commission President’s aide was blamed for a similarly damaging leak to FAZ following a dinner in Downing Street in April.
Then, Mr Juncker was claimed to have said Mrs May was living “in another galaxy” and that he had left the dinner “10 times as sceptical as I was before”. The Commission chief later said the leak had been a “serious mistake”.
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