Ursula von der Leyen’s call for young people to stop Brexit has been rejected by Downing Street.
Yesterday, the President of the European Commission urged the next generation to “fix” Britain’s break with Brussels.
In response to a question on whether Rishi Sunak agreed with Mrs von der Leyen, the Prime Minister’s official spokeswoman said today, “No.
“Right now, we are considering how to further strengthen our migration system through our Brexit freedoms.”
“It is through our Brexit freedoms we are ensuring patients in the UK can get access to medicines faster, that there is improved animal welfare. That is very much what we are focused on.”
Asked if Brexit was in peril, the spokesman added: “No.”
Mr Sunak’s press secretary also highlighted Mr Sunak’s Brexiteer credentials.
She said: “We have a Prime Minister who championed Brexit before it was in his career interest to do so because he believes in it passionately.
“We are very focused on making a success of it.”
Mrs von der Leyen’s comments came in an interview at a Politico awards ceremony on Tuesday night in the Belgian capital.
Asked whether Britain could ever rejoin the EU, Ms von der Leyen said: “I must say, I keep telling my children: ‘You have to fix it. We goofed it up, you have to fix it.’
“So I think here too, the direction of travel – my personal opinion – is clear.”
She also hailed the Windsor Framework, which she and Mr Sunak signed in an effort to overcome difficulties with Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements, as “a new beginning for old friends.”