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Germany's foreign minister today warned some Brexiteers that they were “playing with fire” by potentially fuelling UK nationalism.

Writing in the Standard, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said those who “screamed leave” during the referendum without knowing what would come next were “foolish and irresponsible”.

He claimed British political and economic turmoil was a taste of what awaited the Continent if the EU is abolished.

Following the UK’s leave vote, Mr Steinmeier was among those who called for faster and deeper EU integration on immigration, economic and military matters.

In his article today, he said anyone who “seeks to abolish Europe” will only aggravate their own country’s problems.

He wrote: “The political and economic turmoil the UK is currently experiencing shows this clearly. And it also shows that the very people who screamed ‘leave’, who shouted ‘down with the EU’, have no answer to the question ‘what next?’ when the country leaves or the EU is abolished.

"That is not only foolish and irresponsible, it is also playing with fire.” He attacked those seeking to “instrumentalise” national sentiment, citing former French President François Mitterand who said “nationalism means war”.

Mr Steinmeier said he and French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault had set out ideas after the vote that focused on “making Europe better”.

The statement they produced called for a new EU “fiscal capacity”, “a permanent civil-military chain of command”, the “harmonisation of criminal law” and an “integrated European asylum, refugee and migration policy”.