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What was meant to be a closely choreographed display of unity instead took on an increasingly chaotic air as Warsaw filled what has traditionally been Britain’s role as the black sheep of the European family. In a bombshell ultimatum the country’s prime minister said she would block any attempts to move the project forward by allowing some member states to integrate at a faster pace than others. Things then reportedly took an ugly turn at dinner as the move led to a blazing row erupting between Poland and France which has threatened to sour the EU's upcoming birthday celebrations.

GETTY Polish PM Beata Szydlo said she would veto a two-speed Europe

A visibly furious French president Francois Hollande apparently made a threat to pull the plug on funding to the Eastern European state unless it stepped into line, prompting Warsaw to run to the press crying blackmail. The idea of a two-speed Europe, which has previously been floated by Jean-Claude Juncker, was given the seal of approval by the bloc’s four big beasts of France, Germany, Italy and Spain at their own private summit earlier this week. But Poland, which is by far the biggest recipient of EU structural funds, fears that it would be left behind by such a plan especially given that it has not yet adopted the euro and has taken the drastic step of refusing to sign off on the Council's conclusions.

GETTY French president Francois Hollande reportedly reacted with fury to the move

GETTY Poland has been at loggerheads with Brussels over the re-election of Donald Tusk

And today PM Beata Szydlo, who has been at loggerheads with Brussels over the re-election of Donald Tusk as EU Council chief, dropped her bombshell announcement that Warsaw is prepared to wield its veto. In a fiery intervention after today’s summit she told reporters: "Poland is very clear that there is no agreement to multi-speed Europe. We cherish the EU too much to see it ruined.” Her flat refusal to consider a multi-speed Europe meant that a summit which was supposed to be about one happy family preparing for the EU’s 60th birthday celebrations instead ended in acrimony. It will infuriate Angela Merkel and Mr Hollande, who believed that they had forged a viable way forward for the project after meeting for a high-profile summit on the EU’s future at the palace of Versailles. Following that meeting the bloc’s most powerful duo, alongside Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni and Spain’s Mariano Rajoy, jointly endorsed the idea that a core nucleus of eurozone states should be free to integrate more quickly.

If someone says 'you're not behaving properly so you won't get the money' - that's unacceptable Polish PM Beata Szydlo

And the French leader apparently refused to stand for Warsaw's posturing this evening, erupting over dinner about how Poland had received billions in funding from Western European nations which should now be cut off. That prompted Ms Szydlo to fire back with an accusation of blackmail, telling reporters: "If someone says 'you're not behaving properly so you won't get the money' - that's unacceptable." She fumed: “If EU politicians think they can blackmail countries by telling them some money would be taken away from them, the EU has very bad prospects ahead.” A draft declaration of the EU Council revealed today shows how a multi-speed Europe is increasingly being put at the heart of the bloc’s post-Brexit planning despite Warsaw’s objections. The document, drawn up by Jean-Claude Juncker’s EU Commission, states: “We will work together to promote the common good, on the understanding that some of us can move close, further and faster in some areas, keeping the door open to those who want to join later, and preserving the integrity of the single market, the Schengen area, and the EU as a whole.”

The best pictures from EU Summit 2017 Fri, March 10, 2017 EU leaders will gather for a two-day summit to discuss a number of issues including Great Britain's exit from the Union Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 18 Hollande and Merkel on the second day of a European Summit