Michael Deacon, the parliamentary sketch writer for the Daily Telegraph, sums the whole confected row up well:"While they wait for Theresa May to reveal what changes, if any, she’s made to her Brexit deal, British politicians find themselves at a loose end. They’re listless. Restless. Idle.Today’s business in the Commons began at 11.33am – and ended at 3.29pm, less than four hours later. MPs, it seemed, had nothing left to talk about.In this context, you’d think they’d have been grateful to Donald Tusk, for his efforts to relieve their boredom.“I’ve been wondering what the special place in Hell looks like,” said the President of the European Council, during a remarkable statement in Brussels, “for those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out.”A special place in Hell. Mr Tusk must have known the uproar this phrase would provoke. Indeed, afterwards he was overheard admitting it. “They’ll give you terrible trouble in the British press,” whispered Leo Varadkar, the Irish premier, who had been speaking alongside him.“I know,” Mr Tusk whispered back. “Ha ha!”No doubt he was thoroughly satisfied with the consequences. For the rest of the day, British politics appeared to be in the grip of a collective nervous breakdown.Within minutes, an even more than usually apoplectic Sammy Wilson (DUP, East Antrim) had fired off a statement, thundering that Mr Tusk was “a devilish, trident-wielding Euro maniac”.Hot on Mr Wilson’s heels, Gerard Batten, the latest leader of Ukip, declared that it was actually the opponents of Brexit – “traitors [who] want their country governed by a foreign power” – who would go to Hell.In the Commons, Peter Bone – Tory MP for Wellingborough, and co-founder of 2016’s Grassroots Out campaign – even made a complaint to the Speaker. The Speaker’s duties don’t normally extend to adjudicating on statements by Polish politicians 250 miles away, but Mr Bone didn’t let this deter him. Mr Tusk’s words, he protested, were “completely outrageous”, and an insult to “the British people”.Joanna Cherry (SNP, Edinburgh SW) rolled her eyes. No, she sighed, Mr Tusk had not insulted “the British people”. Instead, he had very specifically insulted – to quote him in full – “those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out”. In other words: not the public, but politicians. Politicians like Mr Bone.“Sometimes,” said Ms Cherry, “the truth hurts, doesn’t it?”Elsewhere, however, Mr Tusk’s targets continued to fume. Nigel Farage called him a “bully”. The DUP’s Arlene Foster call him “very disrespectful”. Andrea Leadsom said his behaviour was “disgraceful”.What a rumpus. Personally, I think that if anyone had a right to feel offended, it was the Devil himself. After all, no one had even thought to ask him whether he actually wants to spend all eternity with Messrs Farage, Bone, Wilson and Batten. Perhaps he doesn’t.Mr Tusk could at least have had the manners to check with him first."
Richard Carter ● 2835d