Theresa May doesn't recall details of 'disastrous' Brexit dinner that she attended

PM reiterates claim that rumours of disagreement with Jean-Claude were just 'Brussels gossip'

Theresa May has claimed she “does not recall the account” of her disastrous dinner with the European Commission president in Downing Street last week, where he reportedly suggested she was “delusional” about Brexit.

Sources in Brussels told the German media that Jean-Claude Juncker had left the meeting saying: “I leave Downing Street 10 times more sceptical than I was before”.

Despite No 10 claiming the meeting had been “constructive”, Mr Juncker reportedly concluded Ms May did not seem to understand the complexity of Brexit.

He reportedly told German Chancellor Angela Merkel Ms May lived “in another galaxy” where she thought Brexit will be beneficial for the UK.

But in an interview with the BBC on the campaign trail, Ms May reiterated her claim that the reports were just “Brussels gossip”.

She quickly tried to steer the interview back to the election campaign, saying: “We’ve seen from all this that at times these negotiations will be tough.

“Getting the right deal requires the right leadership and there is only going to be one of two people sitting around that table.

“There are going to be 27 EU countries on one side of the table and who is going to be there standing for the UK? It’s either going to be me or Jeremy Corbyn.”

The Conservatives have pitched themselves as “strong and stable” government as opposed to the “coalition of chaos” under Labour during the election campaign.

But several foreign politicians have poured cold water on Ms May’s frequent claims that the UK will make a success of Brexit.

Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier warned Ms May that the Brexit talks will be a “steep and rocky path” fraught with hazards like “falling rocks” and will not be “painless”.

Commenting on his and Ms May’s shared passion for mountain walking, he said: “If you like walking in the mountains you have to learn a number of rules. You have to learn to put one foot in front of the other, because sometimes you are on a steep and rocky path.

“You also have to look what accidents might befall you – falling rocks. You have to be very careful to keep your breath, you have to have stamina, because it could be a lengthy path and you have to keep looking at the summit.”

Mr Barnier said he hoped for an “entente cordiale” between the UK and the EU 27 but attacked those who claimed there would be no consequences for leaving the union.

He said: “Some have created the illusion that Brexit will have no material impact on our lives and that it will be painless. This is not the case.

“You are unwinding 43 years or so of a relationship. That’s why you can’t do everything in 15 or 16 months. That’s why things have to be done in a given order. At some stage you build an idea of a future relationship.”