Leaks from the EU Commission show that Juncker is getting worried Back in April, Theresa May, David Davis, Jean-Claude Juncker and Martin Selmayr, the EU Commission President’s sidekick, dined together at […]

Back in April, Theresa May, David Davis, Jean-Claude Juncker and Martin Selmayr, the EU Commission President’s sidekick, dined together at Downing Street. Shortly after, a peculiar report appeared in the pages of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS), a German Sunday newspaper.

An anonymous source recounted a dire tale from inside the room. The Prime Minister’s demands were unreasonable, he claimed, and Juncker had rejected them on the grounds that: “It felt to the EU side like she does not live on planet Mars but rather in a galaxy very far away.”

The leaker was either Juncker himself or – more likely – Martin Selmayr, a brutal operator known in Brussels as “The Monster”.

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The response in the UK was a bout of obsessive scrutiny of what each word might mean for us. But it was a mistake to think that we were the intended audience. Rather, Team Juncker aimed its message at the German government. The Commission President knew that his influence on the negotiations was weakened by suspicion among Member States that his commitment to “ever-closer union” at all costs might obstruct a solution. In the internal power-games of Brussels, he needed to demonstrate that he was faced with unreasonable British demands.

One leak was impolite. But now it has happened a second time.

I deny that 1/we leaked this; 2/Juncker ever said this; 3/we are punitive on Brexit. It's an attempt 2 frame EU side & 2 undermine talks. https://t.co/pGhCxExpHu — Martin Selmayr (@MartinSelmayr) October 23, 2017

Last week, the same group dined together in Brussels. And yet again, a negative account has been leaked. This time, the briefing is even more negative and far more personal. The source claims the Prime Minister was “begging for help”, looked “despondent” and had “rings under her eyes”. It certainly has the ring of Juncker and Selmayr’s laddish team. Selmayr has denied that “Juncker ever said this” – but we should take The Monster’s words with a fistful of salt.

For a start, the report never named its source; Juncker might not have said the words, but Selmayr might. Furthermore, the Commission President once described his own diplomatic strategy as follows: “When it becomes serious, you have to lie”. That rather undermines his right-hand man as a provider of alibis.

The question is what this second leak means. The first was a sign that Juncker feared his reputation threatened his role in the negotiations. This time, the more aggressive, personal tone indicates his position has worsened – the leaker is becoming more shrill because he (or his boss) is finding it harder to be heard.

That isn’t surprising. Last week’s EU meeting saw the pragmatic Member States assert themselves, aided by pressure from Michel Barnier, the chief negotiator. While progress is still slow, the door has now been opened to future trade talks, conditional on getting an offer of more money.

While the Commission operates in a world of integrationist theory, the Member States must deal with real voters and real cash. The agenda is shifting away from the Brussels ideologues and towards the pragmatists in the national capitals, who want an eventual deal.

As the agenda slipped away from the Commission President, his power slipped, too – so now we get this new leak to place him back at the centre of the story.

The lesson for May is obvious. While she rightly retains the option of walking away, now is not the time to end the Brexit talks. But it most certainly is time to stop bothering to have dinner with Jean-Claude Juncker.

Mark Wallace is Executive Editor of ConservativeHome.com