European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker "is trying to get me fired", the British minister in charge of the Brexit, David Davis, said in an interview published on Friday by The Telegraph. The conservative believes that erroneous information was deliberately propagated by the Europeans after a dinner in late April between the Prime Minister Theresa May and the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.
"All these stories are against me and aim to get me fired, which in itself is a compliment", he said. "If Europeans do not want me around the table, it's because there's a reason for that. My presence is in the interests of the UK, not in theirs".
The European Commission replied on Friday that it only wanted a British negotiator "as good as Michel Barnier" - the European negotiator - without giving any further comments.
Last week, Mr Davis had already accused the Commission of attempting to intimidate the United Kingdom. "A line has been crossed" when remarks suggesting that London could be faced with a "bill of exchange" of 100 billion euros are made, he said.
The Brussels Times
