EU’s official parting words to the UK were ‘good RIDDANCE’ – because Croatian ambassador ‘thought it meant the same as good luck’ at final meeting

Britain’s membership of the European Union came to an awkward end last week after the UK’s representative to the bloc was told by his opposite number from another member state: ‘Good riddance.’

The remark was made to Sir Tim Barrow by Irena Andrassy, Croatia’s permanent representative in Brussels, during Sir Tim’s final pre-Brexit meeting with EU counterparts.

However, the exchange was apparently the result of a misunderstanding of the British phrase which Ms Andrassy believed equated to something like ‘good luck’.

Chairing the last meeting of EU envoys two days before January 31, Ms Andrassy told Sir Tim: ‘Thank you, goodbye, and good riddance.’

Diplomats stressed to the Financial Times that the comment was not meant as a swipe at the departing UK.

Instead they suggested it was simply another occasion when Britain and another EU member state were not quite on the same page and something was lost in translation.

However, it was noted that ‘history will show’ the unfortunate remark was the last one made to the UK’s representative by the EU before Brexit.