Macron in plea for EU reform as ?he attacks Brexit ‘anger mongers’

French President Emmanuel Macron has torn into Brexiteers, calling them “anger-mongers backed by fake news” whose “lies and irresponsibility” have thrown the whole of Europe into danger.

French President Emmanuel Macron. Picture: Ludovic Marin, POOL via AP

Mr Macron urged the rest of Europe to “stand firm, proud and lucid in the face of this manipulation” as he launched a plea for reform of the EU, which he said had never been “in so much danger”.

Mr Macron’s attack on Eurosceptics came in a 1,600-word comment piece that has been translated into 22 languages and has been published in newspapers in each of the EU’s 28 member countries.

“The trap lies not in being part of the European Union; the trap is in the lie and the irresponsibility that can destroy it,” he said .“Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future? Who spoke to them about losing access to the EU market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the border? Retreating into nationalism offers nothing; it is rejection without an alternative.”

Among his proposed reforms were a “rethink” of the Schengen area of free movement, the creation of a common border force and a treaty on defence and security.

Meanwhile, European Council president Donald Tusk has suggested “external anti-European forces” tried to subvert the 2016 referendum.