The European Parliament Brexit Coordinator was invited to speak at the members’ rally which also saw the reveal of the latest Liberal Democrat defector – Tory rebel Sam Gyimah. Mr Verhofstadt said that while he wanted the UK to stay in the EU, the bloc must be reformed, saying “we cannot continue” in the current state of affairs. He added that Europe has acted “too little, too late”.

Mr Verhofstadt told Liberal Democrat members said: “Let us use this pro-European energy not only to Remain in Europe, but also to reform the European Union.

“Because I have one conviction: that Brexit is happening is a sign that this European Union needs to be modernised, needs to be more effective.

“We cannot continue being friends with Europe that is always acting too little and too late.”

Mr Verhofstadt went on to describe a “world order of Empires” in which he claimed European nations had to work together to defend their interests against the “empires” of China, India, the US and Russia.

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The Liberal Democrats, who have styled themselves as the UK’s Remain party, erupted into applause at this.

Later in the conference, Liberal Democrat members voted to change their party’s policy to support outright cancelling Brexit by revoking Article 50.

The party’s leader Jo Swinson said: “The Liberal Democrats are crystal clear: if we win the next election, we will stop Brexit by revoking Article 50 and remaining in the European Union.

“People deserve better than Boris Johnson’s no deal Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Brexit.

“At the next election, voters can instead choose the Liberal Democrats and our clear and unequivocal policy to Stop Brexit.” 

However, this bold move has resulted in serious backlash from Leavers who argue the Liberal Democrats want to overturn the largest democratic mandate in UK history.

Mr Verhofstadt, who was Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008, advocates a federal Europe.

Implementation of this would see the EU move from a confederation of sovereign states towards a single state consisting of a central government and partially self-governed federal states.

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In his speech to a room packed with Liberal Democrats, he laid out his vision for this.

The EU Brexit chief said: “The world order of tomorrow is not one based on nation states or countries. 

“It is a world order that is based on Empires. China is not a nation, it’s a civilisation.

“India is not a nation – there are 2,000 nations in India, there are 20 different languages that are used there, there are four big religions – at the same time, it is the biggest democracy worldwide.

“The US is also an Empire, more than a nation – maybe tomorrow they will speak more Spanish than English, I don’t know. And then finally the Russian Federation.

“The world of tomorrow is a world of Empires in which we Europeans and you British can only defend your interests, your way of life, by doing it together in a European Framework and a European Union. 

Despite this rhetoric, even the Europhile Mr Verhofstaft had to admit that the EU is not fit to function in its current form – and he is not the only EU leader who has taken Brexit as an indication that the EU needs to change. 

French President Emmanuel Macron said in March that the EU must learn from Brexit and set out a plan to overhaul the institution.

In his ‘roadmap to European renewal’, a letter to EU citizens published in 28 newspapers, he called for a new European agency “for the protection of democracies” against outside electoral interference.

He also proposed joint action on internet hate speech, the supervision of internet giants, new competition rules, a minimum European wage and a new defence treaty.

President Macron also proposed that panels of European citizens should be consulted on EU reforms.

While European leaders would not budge back in 2015 when David Cameron tried to renegotiate the UK’s terms with the EU, after the Brexit vote it seems they have now realised something needs to change.

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