Opening the Brexit debate, Guy Verhofstadt starts by paying tribute to British MEPs who 'always brought wit, charm, and intelligence'. When members of the Brexit Party cheer, he quips 'some of them' to laughs. Hof says: 'In the name of all of us I can only say we will miss you.'
Guy Verhofstadt says it's 'sad to see a nation leaving, a great nation, that has given us all so much culturally, economically, politically, even its own blood in two world wars. It's in fact sad to see a country leaving that twice liberated us.'
Verhofstadt questions what sovereignty is in 21C, citing Huawei. 'Tomorrow there will be Chinese 5G masts in the British islands. The cruel reality is European countries have lost their sovereignty already a long time ago and Europe is the way to regain that sovereignty.'
Verhofstadt: 'Brexit started not 3.5 years ago. Brexit started long ago, exactly the day we started with giving exceptions with opt-ins, opt-outs, rebates. The union ceased to be a union. Brexit is also our failure and there's a lesson to learn from it - not to undo the Union.'
Verhofstadt says he's received 100s of letters this week from Brits wanting to stay & doesn't know how to reply. Says EU must make sure UK can return to an 'effective and more democratic' Union, and signs off to jeers: 'This vote is not an adieu, this vote is only an au revoir.'
Commission chief von der Leyen up now. Says: 'So many British MEPs have contributed to making this parliament and Union strong, You have our gratitude and respect, even more so for your resilience in the last 3.5 years. We will miss you but we'll always keep up our friendship.'
Von der Leyen: 'When it comes to trade, we're considering an FTA with zero tariffs and zero quotas. This would be unique - no other FTA offers such an access to our Single Market. But the precondition is that EU and UK businesses continue to compete on a Level Playing Field.'
After her mention of LPF is jeered, von der Leyen shoots back: 'Just days ago some of the largest business associations in Britain asked their government to maintain EU standards and rules and I think this is in our mutual interest. This is about jobs, common solutions.'
Addressing British MEPs, von der Leyen ends her speech by quoting the British poet George Eliot. She says: 'Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love. We will always love you and we will never be far.'
French MEP Nathalie Loiseau - a former Europe minister - delivers her speech *in English*. She says: 'We will miss you, the EU will not be the same without you. My deep feeling is there is no good Brexit. I'm still convinced we're better off together than we will be apart.'
Nathalie Loiseau: 'To the Brexiteers, I can say no hard feelings. You will have no-one to blame for the future of your country, especially not Brussels. You are in charge, but trust me if some of you think the next phase is the weakening of the EU we will prove you dead wrong.'
Tory MEP Dan Hannan says the fact the EU 'was not prepared to allow any devolution of powers' when David Cameron asked for a renegotiation 'made a parting of ways inevitable'. He tells fellow MEPs: 'I wish you well. You are losing a bad tenant but gaining a good neighbour.'
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage: 'The most significant point is what happens at 11pm this Friday marks the point of no return. Once we've left we are never coming back and the rest frankly is detail. We're going, we will be gone.'
Farage and his MEPs get out their UK flags, which are banned from the chamber. EP vice-president Mairead McGuinness cuts his mic off for breaking the rules, and says: 'Sit down, put your flags away - you're leaving - and take them with you.' A dramatic end to his final speech.
