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Speaking after talks with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Wednesday, European Council president Donald Tusk said there was a "special place in hell" for "those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out safely".
We’ve rounded up some of the media reaction from the UK and Europe to what may be one of the more contentious Brexit statements.
The Daily Telegraph: Brexiteers have special spot in hell, says Tusk (paywall)
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Donald Tusk sabotaged Theresa May’s mission to secure vital Brexit concessions from the EU yesterday as he said there was a “special place in hell” for the Leave campaign. The (British) prime minister had hoped to be given a positive reception in Brussels today, but instead the European Council president poisoned cross-Channel relations with comments described as “disgraceful, “spiteful” and “arrogant” by cabinet ministers.
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The Daily Telegraph opinion piece: Our heavenly future, once we are free of this infernal union
So Donald Tusk, self-styled Satan and the EU’s very own diablo wishes a very special place in hell for Brexiteers, and the punishment that the EU seems determined to mete out has reached a new high in hyperbole. The fact that a serious politician at the centre of the engine room, dare I say furnace, of the EU has stooped to this must indicate the unholy Brussels trinity of Tusk, Martin Selmayr and Jean-Claude Juncker is feeling the heat.
Donald Tusk was caught smirking after being told he would get in “terrible trouble” over his “special place in hell” Brexiteers jibe. The sneering Eurocrat has been urged to apologise over the Twitter outburst. But the European Council president (61) was filmed laughing after a press conference with the Irish leader Leo Varadkar who had told him he would get “terrible trouble” over the rant.
The Guardian: Tusk warns of 'special place in hell' for those who backed Brexit without a plan
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The European Union's frustration with the British government has erupted into the open, prompting a vicious war of words across the Channel as Theresa May heads to Brussels to try to salvage her Brexit deal.
Unscripted comments from Donald Tusk, president of the European council, warning of a “special place in hell” for those who pushed for Brexit “without even a sketch of a plan” set off a furious reaction in London.
The Guardian opinion piece: Donald Tusk's special place in hell looks like where we are right now
After a Brussels press conference punctuated with knowing sighs, in which he again made clear the withdrawal agreement was not up for renegotiation but that – as a gesture of goodwill – he was willing to entertain sensible alternative suggestions from the UK government, the EU Council’s president concluded with a simple thought. “I’ve been wondering,” he mused, “what that special place in hell looks like, for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.”
This was Donald Tusk unplugged. A politician tired of diplomacy that kept going nowhere – “What bit of backstop doesn’t the UK get?” – and happy for once to speak his mind. “They’ll give you a terrible time in the British press for that,” whispered a delighted Leo Varadkar, the Irish Taoiseach. Tusk merely smiled. “Yes, I know. Hahaha.” He no longer cared that much what anyone thought. He had tried to be nice to the Brits but all you got in return was news bulletins with Theresa May in a Spitfire and people comparing the EU’s aims with Hitler.
The Daily Mirror: Brexiteers will have a 'special place in hell' declares EU chief Donald Tusk
Brexiteers will have a ‘special place in hell’, EU chief Donald Tusk declared in an extraordinary, furious speech. The European Council President lashed out at Tories who pushed Brexit without a plan as talks remain deadlocked just 51 days before the UK is supposed to leave.
The Financial Times: Tusk warns of a 'special place in hell' for Brexiters with no plan
Theresa May is braced for a hostile reception in Brussels on Thursday, with EU chief Donald Tusk fuming over her failure to come up with new ideas to rescue her Brexit deal and saying there was “a special place in hell” for the UK’s leading Eurosceptics.
The European Council president’s remarkable outburst reflected Mr Tusk’s “genuine, deep frustration with the mess that we are in”, according to one EU official, but it only complicated Mrs May’s attempt to placate pro-Brexit Tory MPs.
The prime minister’s visit is intended to explore ways to revise the deal that was heavily rejected by the house of commons last month, but hopes of a breakthrough were set at zero: “We will go there and they will say No,” said one May aide.
BBC analysis piece: Brexit: Donald Tusk's planned outburst
They weren’t off-the-cuff remarks, but a planned outburst. The softly-spoken politician who holds the authority of all EU countries has just completely condemned a chunk of the British cabinet, wondering aloud: “What that special place in hell looks like for those who promoted Brexit, without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely”. Sure, for a long time the EU has been frustrated with how the UK has approached all of this. And sure, plenty of voters in the UK are annoyed too at how politicians have been handling these negotiations.
But it is quite something for Donald Tusk to have gone in like this, studs up, even though he sometimes reminisces about his time as a football hooligan in his youth. Be clear, he was not intending to talk about voters who wanted to leave, but politicians who were involved in the campaign.
Süddeutsche Zeitung: Tusk: "Special place in hell" for the Brexiteers
Donald Tusk is known for his ironic comments. In September, the EU Council president posted a picture of himself and British prime minister Theresa May at a cake buffet on Instagram. With an ironic reference to the difficult British wishes in the Brexit negotiations, he wrote: “A piece of cake, maybe? Sorry, no cherries.” The accusation of picking out only the best made great indignation in Britain.
Even months later, the Brexit drama has not ended and Tusk has since developed his own ideas of what the British Brexit followers deserve: a place in hell. “I was wondering what the special place in hell would be for those who pushed Brexit without even having a blueprint for putting it safely on the grid,” Tusk said after meeting the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Wednesday in Brussels.
The Irish News: Wilson calls Tusk 'devilish Euro maniac'.
Sammy Wilson, a DUP MP, has branded Donald Tusk a “devilish Euro maniac” after the European Council president said there will be “a special place in hell” for those who promoted Brexit without any plan for how to deliver it safely. Mr Tusk’s comments came as he repeated the EU’s insistence that the Withdrawal Agreement reach with British prime minister last year cannot be reopened to remove the backstop arrangement for the border.
He was speaking alongside Taoiseach Leo Varadkar after talks in Brussels in which they discussed preparations for what Mr. Tusk described as the “fiasco” of a no-deal Brexit on March 29th. Mr Wilson, the DUP’s spokesman on Brexit accused Mr Tusk of showing contempt for those who voted for the UK to leave the EU. “This devilish Euro maniac is doing his best to keep to keep the United Kingdom bound by the chains of EU bureaucracy and control,” he tweeted. He added: “All he will succeed in doing is stiffening the resistance of those who have exercised their choice to be clear of Tusk and his trident-wielding cabal.”
The Irish News opinion piece: This is not the time for inflammatory language
With March 29th fast approaching and the prospects of a deal looking slim, tensions are high. This febrile context provides a part explanation for Donald Tusk’s remarks if not justification – but then again, it’s difficult to not understand the European council’s frustration. He’s certainly not alone in being bewildered and disheartened by the antics of the British government in recent months...that said, this is not a time for inflammatory language and equally, the tone of Mr Tusk’s remarks was unbecoming for an EU figurehead even if you sympathise with the sentiment.