Mr Henkel suggested a new membership deal granting Britain full control over immigration would push the British Government into stopping Brexit. The former leader of the Federation of German industry called on Germany to “support the Remainers in Britain” and put forward the new deal to have the UK stay in the European Union. Speaking to LBC, Mr Henkel said: “If the German Government really wants to do something, they should support the Remainers in Britain.

“They should say, ‘look, folks, it’s so complicated there’s no solution to the backstop. We must offer Britain a new deal to enable them to stay in the European Union’.

“I think that would be the best solution.”

LBC host Nick Ferrari reminded Mr Henkel, a former member of the European Parliament, Britons voted to quit the bloc but the German businessman claimed negotiations proved Brexit will be a “lose-lose” arrangement.

He continued: “It has turned out to be a lose-lose situation for both Britain and the European Union.

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That is why I think the European Union should take some blame for the result of the referendum

Hans Olaf Henkel

“That is why I think the European Union should take some blame for the result of the referendum.

“They should now offer Britain something they were unable and unwilling to give David Cameron at that time.

“And that is to give the UK more autonomy over their immigration. That was the key issue at the time of the referendum.”

Boris Johnson pledged he will deliver on the Brexit referendum “come what may”, warning repeatedly his Government is prepared to walk away from the negotiating table without a deal. 

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The Prime Minister flew to the continent earlier in the week to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss his commitment to striking a deal with the EU without the inclusion of the Irish backstop.

The backstop emerged as the most contentious issue during talks with Brussels, with Brexiteers voicing concerns the policy could be used to keep the UK closely aligned to the single market and the customs union.

But following his meeting with the Prime Minister on Thursday, Mr Macron said the divorce deal and Irish backstop are “not just technical constraints or legal quibbling” but are “genuine, indispensable guarantees” to preserve stability in Ireland and the integrity of the single market.

The French President said the European Union had “always said that it was available to discuss, depending on the wishes of the UK, our future relationship”.

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The Prime Minister hit back insisting he wants a Brexit that was as “pain-free as possible” whether or not there was a deal.

Mr Johnson said: ”A great deal of work has already been done to ensure that the transition on October 31 is as smooth as it possibly can be and so there are already agreements on aviation, on financial services, many other sectors.”

And Chancellor Merkel highlighted how short time was before Britain’s planned European Union exit date of October 31: “I said that what one can achieve in three or two years can also be achieved in 30 days. Better said, one must say that one can also achieve it by October 31.

“It is not about 30 days. The 30 days were meant as an example to highlight the fact that we need to achieve it in a short time because Britain had said they want to leave the European Union on October 31.

“It was said we will probably find a solution in two years. But we could also find one in the next 30 days, why not?”

Mr Johnson and Mr Macron met ahead of their formal talks at the Elysee, meeting for the first time ahead of the G7 summit this weekend.

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