Juncker pessimistic about deal for Brexit.

EU President Jean-Claude Juncker today revealed he is “not very optimistic” of securing a Brexit deal after crunch talks with Theresa May.

The European Commission president insisted that a lack of a parliamentary majority in London is at the heart of the deadlock. He bemoaned the lack of progress being made despite holding talks with the Prime Minister last night in Brussels. Speaking at a session of the EU’s European Economic and Social Committee, the eurocrat said there is still not a majority amongst MPs for a solution that can break the impasse.

Mr Juncker said: “If no deal were to happen, and I cannot exclude this, this would have terrible economic and social consequences in Britain and on the continent, so my efforts are oriented in a way that the worst can be avoided.

“But I am not very optimistic when it comes to this issue.”

He added: “Because in the British parliament every time they are voting, there is a majority against something, there is no majority in favour of something.”

Last night, Mrs May told the Commission boss that she required “legally binding changes” to the Irish backstop in order to win the support of MPs.

Her Brussels trip left officials no more confident that she will be able to guide Britain out of the EU with a deal.

A joint statement issued after the talks said the meeting was “constructive” and both leaders pledged to talk again before the end of the month.

Mrs May said: “Time is of the essence and it’s in both our interests that when the UK leaves the EU it does so in an orderly way.”

She revealed she affirmed “the need for us to see legally binding changes to the backstop which ensure it cannot be indefinite”.