Brexiteer accused of 'patronising contempt' by Maltese MEP

Roberta Metsola in the European Parliament - Credit: European Parliament

A Brexiteer MP in the House of Commons has been accused of treating Britain’s EU partners with “patronising contempt” by a Maltese MEP after he claimed Britain was nothing like her country.

Daniel Kawczynski took to Twitter to complain about the EU’s handling of Brexit talks.

He said: “Mistake EU making is they are treating us as if we were Malta leaving the EU!

Brexiteer MP Daniel Kawczynski. Photograph: Sky News. – Credit: Archant

“We are the 5th largest economy in the world, Permanent Member of UN Security Council and major European military power.

“I hope citizens across Europe begin to realise how the EU is mishandling their interests.”

I assure you Malta would never treat its partners with such patronising contempt, especially when discussions that rely on good will from all sides, are at such a delicate stage.

"How to lose friends & alienate people" shouldn't be considered a guiding principle to negotiations. pic.twitter.com/C4eny2EPjA

— Roberta Metsola MEP (@RobertaMetsola) December 8, 2020

It prompted an angry response from Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola who said he was taking a leaf out of the book How to lose friends and alienate people.

She wrote: “I assure you Malta would never treat its partners with such patronising contempt, especially when discussions that rely on goodwill from all sides, are at such a delicate stage.

“‘How to lose friends and alienate people’ shouldn’t be considered a guiding principle to negotiations.”

Last year Kawczynski was criticised for asking Polish officials to veto any Brexit extension to Article 50 to ensure a no-deal Brexit.