Hans-Olaf Henkel said the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier was among those seeking to make an example of the UK

Brussels wants to 'punish' Britain for Brexit and is determined to make our departure a 'catastrophe', a top German politician warned today.

Hans-Olaf Henkel said the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier was among those seeking to make an example of the UK.

Senior Eurocrats are focused on making sure that no other country follows Britain's example by leaving the bloc, according to the MEP.

Mr Henkel, a former chief executive of IBM and president of the Federation of German Industries, delivered the warning as he ridiculed the idea that Britain should be denied favourable access to EU markets and institutions.

He said he viewed Brexit as a 'disaster', reflecting the German view that the UK has been a positive influence on the organisation over the past four decades.

Mr Henkel said the European parliament's Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, an outspoken federalist, was responsible in 'no small part' for the UK quitting.

'Mr Verhofstadt now wants to punish the British, full stop,' Mr Henkel wrote in an article for the Times.

'He says he doesn't want to, but I'm afraid he does. My impression is that Mr Barnier wants to do the same.

'The reason is simple. They would seek to make sure that Brexit is such a catastrophe that no country dares to take the step of leaving the EU again.'

Mr Henkel, who is deputy chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, which includes Conservative MEPs, said he still hoped Britain might reconsider.

But he insisted that if Brexit went ahead it must be possible to forge close relations with EU-wide institutions such as nuclear safety body Euratom.

'My position is that the EU must accommodate the British. That will mean some give and take on both sides,' he said.

The comments come as Brussels takes a hard line on demands for an £85billion 'divorce' settlement from Britain.

Mr Barnier has insisted that the UK must provide an initial framework in the autumn as to how much money it is willing to pay before talks about a trade deal can begin.

Michel Barnier, pictured with Brexit Secretary David Davis in Brussels on Monday, has insisted that the UK must provide an initial framework in the autumn as to how much money it is willing to pay before talks about a trade deal can begin

Mr Henkel said the European parliament's Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt (pictured), an outspoken federalist, was responsible in 'no small part' for the UK quitting the EU

He has repeatedly threatened that the complex negotiations will not proceed unless he determines there is 'sufficient progress' on the size of the UK bill.

But Downing Street is prepared to infuriate EU leaders by offering only a vague agreement in October and refusing to produce a concrete figure.

British negotiators have insisted the size of the payment can be determined only when it becomes clear whether the EU is willing to offer a wide-ranging trade deal.

Insiders have dismissed the EU's £85 billion demand as 'preposterous' while Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson recently said the bloc could 'go whistle' for such a sum.

Brexit Secretary David Davis has described even a settlement of half that as a 'lot of money', while Tory Brexiteers insist nothing should be paid.

Talks on the so-called 'substantive' issues such as the bill and the Northern Irish border began on Monday amid claims jibes from Brussels that British officials have been underprepared.