Emmanuel Macron ally claims Boris Johnson’s Brexit proposals are a ‘joke’

Bruno Bonnell was answering questions on Emma Barnett’s BBC Radio 5 Live programme when he made the claim about the UK’s latest proposals for Brexit.

Bonnell said what Boris Johnson is “suggesting right now is a very complex process – even more complicated than what is proposed by the backstop.

“Secondly it is again a last-minute proposal as if he wanted to force the issue and put the responsibility of a no-deal Brexit on EU shoulders”.

He added that he believed it was “not a genuine offer” and that it was “political manipulation”.

Barnett said that Boris Johnson had described it as “the final chance of a deal”, which Bonnell agreed was correct, but he said that existing terms the prime minister was proposing is “not a final version, it’s almost like a joke”, before adding: “We don’t even understand it.”

He continued: “I think Boris Johnson is in this nightmare, between a rock and a hard place”.

Bonnell added that he believed a no-deal Brexit was now the most likely scenario.

Emmanuel Macron has upped the ante on talks by saying the workings of a deal must be in place by Friday for any movement on a deal to be made at the council meeting in less than a fortnight’s time.

But Downing Street said the imposition of such a deadline was not “helpful” and called on the EU to “match the compromises” made by the UK.

“I don’t think it is helpful for me to talk in those terms,” said the prime minister’s spokesman.

“The prime minister has been the first to set out we are under time pressure if we are going to leave the EU with a deal.”

He added: “We are ready to talk with the EU at a pace to secure a deal so we can move on and build a new partnership between the UK and EU.

“But if this is to be possible then the EU must match the compromises that the UK has made.”