Brexit: Seeing Britain's failure has 'vaccinated' other EU countries against euroscepticism, EU president Tusk says

Seeing Britain's botched attempt to leave the European Union has vaccinated other EU countries against euroscepticism, the president of the European Council has said.

Speaking 48 hours after EU election results came in Donald Tusk said Brexit had ensured the failure of anti-EU parties in last week's contest.

"I have no doubt that one of the reasons why people on the continent voted for a pro-European majority is also Brexit," Mr Tusk told reporters at a press conference.

"As Europeans see what Brexit means in practice they also draw conclusions. Brexit has been a vaccine against anti-EU propaganda and fake news."

Mr Tusk, who was speaking after an EU summit in Brussels attended by the bloc's 28 presidents and prime ministers, added that many eurosceptic parties had abandoned anti-EU slogans presented themselves "reformers" - a change he said was a "positive development".

The claim – which appears to be supported by opinion polls and election results – will enrage Brexiteers, who before the EU referendum had predicted a "domino effect" of other EU member states leaving a disintegrating union after they saw how successful Britain's exit had been.

But anti-EU, populist, and far-right parties underperformed high expectations in EU elections last week, after voter turnout on the continent rose to the highest level in decades – over 50 per cent.

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