European Parliament gets spicy as Jean Claude Juncker asks Nigel Farage: Why are you here? The last we heard from Nigel Farage in the EU parliament, the Ukip leader quoted Captain Oates, telling MEPs “I’m […]

The last we heard from Nigel Farage in the EU parliament, the Ukip leader quoted Captain Oates, telling MEPs “I’m going out now and I may be some time”.

However unlike the Antarctic explorer, who wandered off into a blizzard never to be seen again, just three weeks later and Nigel Farage is back.

Whilst European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker was speaking at an emergency session of the Parliament in Brussels to discuss Britain’s Leave vote, applause could be heard.

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It was Mr Farage, clapping at Mr Juncker’s comments that Europe had to “respect British democracy and the way it [had] expressed its views”.

“To some extent I am really surprised that you are here” Jean Claude Juncker

Last applause

“That’s the last time you are applauding here,” Mr Juncker snapped.

“To some extent I am really surprised that you are here. You were fighting for the exit, the British people voted in favour of the exit. Why are you here?”

MEPs are elected to serve as representatives in EU parliament and have the right to raise points of order. Mr Farage took the retort in his stride, responding that it was a “pleasure”.

However he was later jeered at as he told representatives the euro is failing, that MEPs don’t do a proper day’s work and that the UK will not be the last country to leave the EU.

And it wasn’t just Mr Juncker who had words for Mr Farage. Guy Verhofstadt, the Belgian MEP, told the Ukip leader: “Finally we are going to get rid of the biggest waste in the EU Budget, which we have paid for 17 years, your salary.”

Referring to Mr Farage’s campaigning technique during the EU referendum, Mr Verhofstadt likened the Breaking Point poster to “Nazi propaganda”.

‘No notification, no negotiation’

During the discussion session, Mr Juncker said that Britain needed to clarify its position over negotiations for exit soon.

The UK, he said, was banned from engaging in informal negotiations until it triggered Article 50, which marks the beginning of the official leaving process.

“No notification, no negotiation,” he said.

This is not what Vote Leave wanted to happen prior to the vote. Informal negotiations were listed as the first priority on the Vote Leave website.