
Jean-Claude Juncker was captured ruffling a woman's hair as he arrived at the European Council summit today before claiming he had 'kissed' and made up with Theresa May following a confrontation.

Bizarre footage captured the EU commission president walking up to Pernilla Sjölin - the EU's deputy head of protocol - and erratically running his hands through her hair before kissing her cheek.

Shortly afterwards Mr Juncker brushed off his extraordinary confrontation with Theresa May - insisting they ended up 'kissing' after he explained he had not insulted her by calling her 'nebulous' and 'imprecise' .

The PM and the EU commission president had a 'robust' showdown in the full glare of cameras as she demanded to know why he had branded her with those words in a late-night press conference.

But as the summit in Brussels drew to a close this evening, Mr Juncker insisted Mrs May is a 'great friend' and the incident was down to a misunderstanding.

'I did not refer to her but to the overall state of the debate in Britain,' he said. 'I was following the debate in the House and I cannot see where the British Parliament is heading at.'

Jean-Claude Juncker arrives at European Council summit in Brussels today and walks up to greet Pernilla Sjölin - the EU's deputy head of protocol

The EU commission president erratically runs his hands through Ms Sjölin's hair as he greets her before kissing her on the cheek

Shortly afterwards Mr Juncker brushed off his extraordinary confrontation with Theresa May - insisting they ended up 'kissing' after he explained he had not insulted her

To laughter from journalists, Mr Juncker said: 'In the course of the morning, after having checked what I said yesterday night, she was kissing me'.

EU council chief Donald Tusk also intervened to jibe that the leaders of the bloc had treated Mrs May with 'greater respect and empathy than some British MPs'.

Earlier, Mrs May evoked memories of Margaret Thatcher as she wielded her handbag while berating Mr Juncker.

Although the sound was switched off, TV cameras caught the pair exchanging what looked to be heated words for at least a minute.

Mrs May took the Eurocrat to task for comments delivered to reporters in the early hours of this morning, saying: 'You called me nebulous. Yes you did!'

Mr Juncker, who had one hand on Mrs May's arm, looked to be trying to soothe her anger by denying making the jibe.

As the summit in Brussels drew to a close this evening, Jean-Claude Juncker insisted Theresa May is a 'great friend' and the confrontation today was down to a misunderstanding

The PM - wielding her handbag - was seen locked in a tense standoff with the EU commission chief as the second day of the summit gets under way in Brussels

EU council chief Donald Tusk (pictured centre) jibed that the leaders of the bloc had treated Mrs May with 'greater respect and empathy than some British MPs'.

Speaking at her own press conference at the close of the summit this afternoon, the premier admitted they had a 'robust' exchange.

She said she had been 'crystal clear' with other leaders about what she needed to win support for the Brexit deal at home.

'I had a robust discussion with Jean-Claude Juncker - I think that's the sort of discussion you're able to have when you have developed a working relationship and you work well together,' she said.

'And what came out of that was his clarity that actually he'd been talking - when he used that particular phrase - he'd been talking about a general level of debate.'

The clash, which evoked memories of Margaret Thatcher's 'handbagging' of EU leaders to secure Britain's rebate in 1984, came after Mrs May's latest appeal for 'legally binding' assurances over the Irish border backstop to save her Brexit deal fell flat.

France and Ireland are said to be spearheading the resistance to more concessions at a stormy Brussels summit - even torpedoing calls for another gathering next month to try to thrash out a way forward.

The bloc has also pledged to ramp up preparations for the UK crashing out - with threats to charge British holidaymakers £6 to visit the continent if there is no deal.

But the EU's stance provoked fury from Brexiteers, while DUP leader Arlene Foster insisted Mrs May must 'stand up' to her counterparts rather than 'roll over as has happened previously'.

Although the sound was switched off, TV cameras caught Mrs May and Mr Juncker exchanging what looked to be heated words for at least a minute

Theresa May told a press conference closing the summit today that she had been 'robust' with Mr Juncker about his remarks

Mrs May held bilateral talks with Emmanuel Macron (left) at the summit session got under way. Dutch PM Mark Rutte (right) is an ally of the PM, but has also taken a tough line on Brexit

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage jibed that Mr Juncker might have had a 'good dinner' when he made the remark about the PM being 'nebulous'

In a ten minute pitch at a summit dinner in Brussels last night, Mrs May begged the other 27 leaders to guarantee that a new trade deal is in place by 2021 – so the contentious arrangements to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland the Republic will never be triggered.

But after kicking the PM out so they could consider the situation in private, Mr Juncker emerged to complain that Britain's position was 'nebulous and imprecise'.

Thatcher's 1984 'handbag' moment is still totemic for Brexiteers The PM secured her reputation as a fierce negotiator by demanding 'our money back' from what was then the European Community Margaret Thatcher's 1984 'handbagging' of the EU is still a totemic moment for Eurosceptics. The PM secured her reputation as a fierce negotiator by demanding 'our money back' from what was then the European Community. Before she confronted fellow leaders at the former French royal palace at Fontainebleau, the UK had far less favourable contribution terms than other member states. Britain was receiving around £1 in spending from the EU for every £2 it pumped into the bloc's coffers. But Mrs Thatcher was able to narrow the gap by securing a 'rebate' that closed around two thirds of the gap. Francois Mitterand, the French president at the time, memorably described Mrs Thatcher as having the 'eyes of Caligula and the lips of Marilyn Monroe'. Some claim it was the biggest concession ever made by the EU to a member state - although others argue that Mrs May still did not get everything she wanted. Advertisement

In a brutal late-night press conference - and wearing a green tie in solidarity with Ireland - he said: 'It is the UK leaving the EU. Our UK friends need to say what they want, instead of asking us to say what we want. I find it uncomfortable.

'So we would like, within a few weeks, our UK friends to set out their expectations for us because this debate is sometimes nebulous and imprecise and I would like clarifications.'

He added: 'We don't want the UK to think there can be any form of renegotiation, that is crystal clear. We can add clarifications but no real changes.

'There will be no legally binding obligations imposed on the withdrawal treaty.'

But today Mr Juncker said Mrs May was doing her job in the 'best possible way' and he wanted to 'take the temperature down'.

The EU's hardball approach appears to leave Mrs May with nowhere to turn, just weeks before she must stage a critical showdown in Parliament.

Mrs May was forced to promise she would secure 'legally binding' assurances in order to survive a Tory leadership coup this week - as well as publicly admitting that she will not lead the party into the 2022 general election.

She asked EU counterparts to help her out last night, saying a package of assurances around the backstop could 'change the dynamic' at Westminster.

She ended with a highly personal appeal to EU leaders to put their trust in her and give her the political room for manoeuvre she needs.

Urging them to 'hold nothing in reserve' in helping rescue her deal, she highlighted the torrid political situation at home.

'I hope I have shown you can trust me to do what is right, not always what is easy, however difficult that might be for me politically,' Mrs May said.

However, delivering a statement on behalf of the EU's 27 national leaders afterwards, European Council President Donald Tusk warned the Withdrawal Agreement was 'not open for renegotiation' - and said they are stepping up preparations for a 'no deal' scenario come March.

The conclusions were even tougher against the UK than a draft that had been leaked earlier in the week - suggesting Mrs May's efforts had sent the process into reverse.

Arriving at the summit this morning, EU leaders still were not holding back with their attacks on the UK.

Irish PM Leo Varadkar expressed 'satisfaction' with the tough line taken by the bloc, and said the best Mrs May could hope for was 'clarifications and explanations'.

'We can discuss what form that akes but what we won't be doing as a European Union is renegotiating,' he said.

Luxembourg's Xavier Bettel said 'for internal political reasons some people try to gamble the relations between the EU and the UK for the future'.

How the bruising exchange between May and Juncker unfolded This is how lipreaders say the exchange between Theresa May and Jean-Claude Juncker went: Mrs May: 'What did you call me? You called me nebulous.' (Mr Juncker shakes his head slightly seemingly to deny it) Mrs May: 'Yes you did.' (Mr Juncker seems unclear what word she is saying) Mrs May: 'Nebulous.' As the camera moves around behind them a clearly frustrated Mrs May says: 'Nebulous, yes you did.' Mr Juncker: 'No, I didn't, I didn't.' As the TV shot backs away from the confrontation, Dutch PM Mark Rutte comes over, apparently in an effort to defuse the situation. Advertisement

'It's bad. This is the best possible deal,' he said. 'Theresa May is clear. Westminster is not clear. The problem is the MPs in London.'

Belgium's prime minister Charles Michel said there was 'gigantic doubt' about whether Mrs May will be 'able to honor the engagement that was undertaken'.

'We are going to be sure to prepare for all hypotheses, including the hypothesis of a `no deal,' he said.

Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said he does not now expect a special Brexit summit in January to agree a way forward.

He said they now need the British Parliament to back the deal agreed with Mrs May.

'We need a positive vote from the British Parliament, not a summit,' he said.

'We want a vote. We need a vote from the British Parliament to continue.

'We very much hope this will be a positive vote. We count on that.'

But in an angry retort, Mrs Foster - whose 10 MPs are propping the Tories up in power - said: 'The Prime Minister has promised to get legally binding changes.

'The reaction by the EU is unsurprising. They are doing what they always do. The key question is whether the PM will stand up to them or whether she will roll over as has happened previously.'

Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer said Mrs May had failed to achieve 'meaningful changes' and called for a vote on her deal before Christmas.

European Council President Donald Tusk (pictured right at the summit today) also warned that the Withdrawal Agreement is 'not open for renegotiation'

Irish PM Leo Varadkar (pictured today) expressed 'satisfaction' with the tough line taken by the bloc, and said the best Mrs May could hope for was 'clarifications and explanations'

Angela Merkel (pictured left with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban today) is still a key powerbroker in the EU

The intense Brexit wrangling is taking place at the summit at the EU council's headquarters in Brussels today

He said: 'We cannot go on like this. The Prime Minister should reinstate the vote on her deal next week and let Parliament take back control.'

But Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington defended Mrs May's handling of the talks, telling Today: 'Anybody who has heard Theresa May in debate, anybody who has heard her around the Cabinet table, knows there is a very clear plan.'

He described the talks as 'a welcome first step that was the removal of uncertainty' over the EU's intentions, because it had shown it wanted a 'speedy UK trade deal' that would remove the need for the backstop in the first place.

Body blow for May as the EU DELETES crucial compromise passages from summit conclusions But the draft conclusions of the summit were then heavily edited (pictured), removing references saying the backstop was not a 'desirable' outcome and instead saying it was a crucial insurance policy to 'ensure the integrity of the single market' Theresa May's hopes of passing her Brexit deal suffered a body blow last night as EU leaders deleted compromises from a draft document aimed at helping her. After the PM made a 10-minute plea for help, the other 27 leaders discussed what to do over dinner - after kicking her out to eat elsewhere. Mrs May had asked for legal assurances the Irish border backstop would only be temporary, if it had to be used at all. But the draft conclusions of the summit were then heavily edited, removing references saying the backstop was not a 'desirable' outcome and instead saying it was a crucial insurance policy to 'ensure the integrity of the single market'. The draft promised the EU would use its 'best endeavours' to get a final trade deal - but the final version added a clause saying Brussels would explicitly 'expect the same of the United Kingdom'. The changes mean the final version of the document is likely to be of little help to Mrs May as she fights to save her deal. Advertisement

The Brexit deal was finally struck last month after nearly two years of tortuous negotiations, with Mrs May forcing it through Cabinet at the cost of a series of resignations, and pledging to put it to MPs this week.

But the vote was chaotically shelved when it became clear the government was on track for a catastrophic defeat, in the face of opposition from Tory Brexiteers and Remainers, the DUP, Labour, the SNP and the Lib Dems.

In a desperate bid to salvage the situation, she vowed to go back to Brussels for more 'legally binding' assurances on the Irish border backstop.

Mrs May is thought to have been hoping for a legal addendum to the Withdrawal Agreement that would set a start date for the future relationship between the EU27, or some other binding commitment to ensure the backstop is temporary.

But the response of the EU was to delete key parts of the draft summit conclusions that might have given the UK a glimmer of hope.

EU council president Donald Tusk said: 'Prime Minister May informed the leaders about the difficulties with ratifying the deal in London and asked for further assurances that would at least in her view unlock the ratification process in the House of Commons...

'The Union stands by this agreement and intends to proceed with its ratification. It is not open for renegotiation,' Tusk concluded.

There was said to have been sympathy for Mrs May inside the leaders dinner after her ordeal yesterday, but sources inside the dinner said it was made clear that not much would be expected from today's talks.

As the summit began yesterday, leaders including Angela Merkel and Holland's Mark Rutte held out an olive branch by speaking of their 'admiration' for the PM.

Leaked draft conclusions appeared to offer a glimmer of hope by emphasising that the Irish border backstop was an 'insurance policy' and only intended to be 'temporary' if it comes into force.

Former Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso also appealed for EU leaders to help Mrs May - warning a Brexit had to be concluded without 'resentment'.

But any optimism quickly evaporated as leaders arrived at the summit with an uncompromising message, insisting that the legal text of the Withdrawal Agreement cannot be reopened.

Mrs Merkel said Mrs May's victory in the confidence vote was 'pleasing', but added: 'I do not see that this Withdrawal Agreement can be changed.'

While acclaiming Mrs May in English as he spoke to reporters in Brussels today, Mr Rutte was less helpful when he addressed Dutch journalists in his own language.

'If anyone in the Netherlands thinks Nexit is a good idea, look at England and see the enormous damage it does,' he said.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz suggested another summit could be convened in January to try and sign off more assurances, but said it was hard to know what the EU should give to May because 'not all the arguments of Brexit supporters are rational'.

And Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite put it more bluntly. 'Brexit Christmas wish: finally decide what you really want and Santa will deliver,' she said on Twitter in posting a picture of a chocolate Christmas tree.

As she arrived at the summit, Mrs May publicly conceded for the first time that the Brexit crisis will cut short her stay in Downing Street, saying although in her 'heart' she wants to fight on, she will need to quit before the next general election.

'I think it is right that the party feels that it would prefer to go into that election with a new leader,' she said.

May spoils Juncker's 'Godfather' act at Brussels summit By Judi James, body language expert The normal format for a Junker greeting ritual at these events entails a powerful blend of signals of power and quasi-parental warmth. He usually remains seated in the style of the Godfather and May normal indulges him be bending to kiss the Junker cheek. Here though there is a suggestion of less friendship and more hectoring from May. She entered the chamber at a whirlwind pace that was in direct contrasted to the other leaders' slower, more sociable air of relaxed bonhomie. Caught in a moment with Junker his body language suggests a conciliatory sense of concern while May does seem from her stern facial expression, head tilt and eye contact to be having quite a firm word in the style of a complaint. She usually mirrors Junker's tactile displays of public affection but although he places a hand on her arm there is no reciprocal warmth visible here from the PM. Junker looks rather surprised at what he's hearing but May's rapid pace of movement here suggests she's keen to get her point across quickly. Advertisement

Mrs Merkel today again flatly dismissed the prospect of renegotiating the Withdrawal Agreement, while the Finnish PM warned the best she can hope for is 'political' assurances.

'We can discuss whether there should be additional assurances, but here the 27 member states will act very much in common and make their interests very clear.

'This is always in the spirit that we will have very, very good relations with the UK after it has departed from the European Union.'

French president Emmanuel Macron said there could be a 'political discussion' but added ominously: 'One cannot reopen a legal agreement.'

Mr Rutte was effusive in his praise of Mrs May's 'tenacity'. 'I feel respect. She is an able leader. I admire her tenacity and resilience. She's a great leader. And if you saw the Labour people laughing at her when she said 'I listened', I felt this was not very British,' he said.

'She stood there and kept her composure and won this fight within her party. I have the highest admiration for her.'

Finnish PM Juha Sipila warned: 'Legally binding will be a little bit difficult.

'But we all want to help her first of all, and then our goal is that the new relationship will be before the backstop.

'So I think, at the political level, we can (offer assurances). That's our primary goal. And let's see if we can find something from the legal side also, but it's open still.'

A Commons vote on the PM's Brexit deal was pulled at the last moment this week to avoid a catastrophic defeat.

Trade Secretary Liam Fox has put down a clear marker by warning it may never be put to a Parliamentary vote unless changes are made.

In a sign of the simmering divisions, other ministers including Philip Hammond, Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark are urging an early vote on the package - and then if it is defeated a series of Commons votes on different options for how to move forward.

Mrs May also played down hopes of any shift soon, saying: 'I don't expect an immediate breakthrough, but what I do hope is that we can start to work as quickly as possible on the assurances that are necessary.'