“No-one has ever managed to explain the added value of Brexit to me, not even Nigel Farage.”

They were the words of EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as he warned a cliff-edge UK departure was still possible.

Barnier was speaking at the Web Summit in Lisbon as the UK gears up for a general election in December, aimed at breaking the Brexit stalemate.

“It is the EU and the UK that have reached an agreement,” said Barnier. “And for the first time ever, the House of Commons has approved the deal, but it has not yet completed its ratification.

“So the UK asked us for more time to ratify this agreement and also more time to organise general elections.

“The EU27 agree to give them more time until the end of next January. To do so, Brexit is a school of patience, Brexit is a school of tenacity.”

You can watch a clip of Barnier’s speech in the live player, above.