THE European Parliament’s chief negotiator has said those who promoted Brexit without a clear idea of how to implement it would not even be welcome in hell.

Guy Verhofstadt made the comments after European Council president Donald Tusk said there is a “special place in hell” for those who backed Brexit without “even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely”.

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Responding on Twitter, Verhofstadt said: “Well, I doubt Lucifer would welcome them, as after what they did to Britain, they would even manage to divide hell.”

Verhofstadt will meet Theresa May on Thursday as she seeks amendments to the Irish border backstop arrangement, which EU chiefs have insisted will not be altered.

Earlier he tweeted: “My message to the UK will be that it is not very responsible to try to get rid of a backstop that is meant as an ultimate safeguard to avoid a hard border and the return of violence on the Island of Ireland.”

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The original remarks by Tusk were made during a speech in Brussels delivered alongside Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.

Tusk said he hoped May would come to Brussels with a “realistic” plan and warned the EU was preparing for the “possible fiasco” of a no-deal Brexit.