Ursula von der Leyen was heckled by Brexit Party MEPs as she said she was ‘ready’ to further delay the UK’s departure from the EU as she tried to persuade the European Parliament to make her the bloc’s next boss.
Mrs von der Leyen faces a crunch vote this afternoon when she will need to win the support of a majority of MEPs in order to be installed as Jean-Claude Juncker’s replacement.
But the difficulty of the task facing the outgoing German defence minister was highlighted by the reaction when she said she would be open to pushing back Brexit beyond the current October 31 deadline.
Mrs von der Leyen had prompted applause from Nigel Farage and his grouping of 29 MEPs as she referred to the UK’s decision to vote to leave the EU in 2016.
But they then switched to jeering and howls of derision as she confirmed her willingness to postpone Brexit past Halloween while other MEPs responded with muted applause.
Her intervention came 12 hours after the the two men vying to replace Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt both ruled out any deal involving a ‘backstop’ arrangement for customs on the Irish border – raising the prospect of the UK crashing out on October 31.
Any further delay would be certain to provoke uproar among Brexiteers and worry in Conservative ranks that they will lose further votes to Mr Farage’s party.
Mrs von der Leyen said of the 2016 referendum result: ‘This is a serious decision. We regret it but we respect it. Since then together with the current government of the UK the EU has worked hard to organise the orderly departure of the UK.
‘The Withdrawal Agreement concluded with the government of the UK provides certainty where Brexit created uncertainty.
‘In preserving the rights of citizens and in preserving peace and stability on the island of Ireland, these two priorities are mine too.
‘However, I stand ready for further extension of the withdrawal date should more time be required for a good reason.’
Ursula von der Leyen, pictured addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg today, prompted howls of derision from Brexit Party MEPs this morning as she said she was open to a further Brexit delay
Brexit Party MEPs could be heard shouting ‘No!’ as Mrs von der Leyen floated the idea of delaying the UK’s departure past the current October 31 deadline
Nigel Farage, pictured today as he addressed MEPs in the French city of Strasbourg, accused Mrs von der Leyen of pushing ‘an updated form of communism’
Boris Johnson told the Sun/TalkRadio event he was ‘not attracted to time limits or unilateral escape hatches or all these elaborate devices, glosses, codicils and so on that you could apply to the backstop’, while Jeremy Hunt said ‘the backstop, as it is, is dead’.
But the EU has consistently refused to renegotiate the current divorce deal to remove it.
Brexit Party MEPs could be heard shouting ‘No!’ and booing Mrs von der Leyen while Mr Farage later used his speech to the European Parliament to claim she had ‘just made Brexit a lot more popular’.
He also accused her of pushing an ‘updated form of communism’.
The leader of the Brexit Party told MEPs in Strasbourg: ‘What you have seen from Ursula von der Leyen today is an attempt by the European Union to take control of every single aspect of our lives.
‘She wants to build a centralised, undemocratic, updated form of communism where the state controls everything, where nation state parliaments will cease to have any relevance at all.
‘I have to say from our perspective in some ways I am really rather pleased because you have just made Brexit a lot more popular in the United Kingdom. Thank god we are leaving.’
Mr Farage also accused Mrs von der Leyen of being a ‘fanatic for building a European army’ as he urged MEPs to reject her candidacy.
Mrs von der Leyen hit back and said: ‘To be quite honest with you, having listened to the last speaker, that provides further proof of how important it is to work closely with our British colleagues in the future.
‘But I think Mr Farage we can probably do without what you have got to say here.’
Mrs von der Leyen’s comments on the Brexit deadline will be seen as a major boost for Remain campaigners because they suggest a No Deal divorce is not necessarily inevitable.
Both Mr Johnson and Mr Hunt have kept No Deal as an option as they battle to succeed Mrs May in Number 10.
But while Mr Hunt has said he is open to a small further delay if more time is needed to strike a deal, Mr Johnson has promised to deliver Brexit ‘do or die’ and with or without a deal on October 31.
Both men have made renegotiating Mrs May’s existing Brexit deal their ‘Plan A’ but Brussels has been ice cold on the prospect of making changes to the terms of the UK’s divorce.
Mrs von der Leyen will need to win at least 374 out of 747 votes at a secret ballot this afternoon if she is to be Mr Juncker’s replacement.
But she is far from a lock for the top job with widespread discontent among MEPs over the way in which she was put forward.
The Christian Democrat of the European People’s Party has promised parliamentarians she will put tackling climate change and social issues at the heart of her programme over her five year term.
However, senior figures in the EU fear Mrs von der Leyen may struggle to secure the majority of support she needs.
Many in Brussels believe she will limp over the line but if she is rejected it would represent a major headache for EU leaders.
She was chosen as the last-minute candidate by the leaders of the EU’s 28 member states after a grueling three day summit during which other better known names were rejected because of internal squabbling.
The way in which she was chosen angered many MEPs and if they reject her then the EU28 will likely be forced to go back to the drawing board.
Her speech to MEPs this morning as she sought to win over her doubters, came after she had written to socialist and liberal representatives yesterday to make the case for why they should support her.
In her letter she said that she would support a further Brexit extension beyond the current October 31 deadline.
But she also insisted that the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with Theresa May was still the ‘best and only possible deal for an orderly withdrawal’.
Her comments on the finality of the current deal highlight the strength of opposition likely to face Mr Johnson and his plan to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s divorce from the bloc if he becomes PM next week.
Brexit has already been delayed twice since the original March 29 deadline.
Mrs von der Leyen faces a secret ballot of MEPs this afternoon on whether she will replace Jean-Claude Juncker
Mrs von der Leyen will become the first female president of the European Commission if she secures the support of a majority of MEPs
But senior figures in Brussels are concerned that Mrs von der Leyen may barely get the numbers she needs. If she is rejected then the leaders of the EU28 member states will likely have to go back to the drawing board to select a new candidate
She concluded her letter with a lengthy passage on her Brexit vision as she said: ‘If elected, I am ready to pave the way to the ambitious and strategic partnership we want to build with the United Kingdom.
‘Should more time be required and should there be good reasons provided, I will support a further extension if good reasons are provided.’
Ms von der Leyen expressed her ‘regret’ that the UK had voted to leave the EU in June 2016 but added: ‘I fully respect this decision.’
‘The Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with the United Kingdom is the best and only deal possible for an orderly withdrawal,’ she said, according to a copy of the letter published by The Independent.
Her use of the phrase ‘good reasons’ in the letter and in today’s speech has been interpreted as meaning either a second referendum or general election being held to break the Brexit deadlock.
However, while her remarks give a good indication of the future direction of the EU, it will ultimately be up to Mr Juncker and the leaders of the EU member states to decide whether there should be a further Brexit delay.
Mrs von der Leyen is due to take over from Mr Juncker on November 1, the day after the current Brexit deadline.