'Couldn't run a p*** up in a brewery': Ed Miliband rips into government after Brexit deal collapse

The former leader of the Labour party, Ed Miliband, has been praised online after issuing a strongly-worded tweet railing against the government after Brexit talks dramatically collapsed.

Prime Minister Theresa May had expected to leave Brussels on Monday (4 December) with the first stage of negotiations done and dusted, but opposition from the DUP saw the deal collapse at the last minute.

Reacting angrily to the stalemate, Miliband, took to Twitter to air his thoughts on the turn of events, when he said: "What an absolutely ludicrous, incompetent, absurd, make it up as you go along, couldn't run a piss up in a brewery bunch of jokers there are running the government at the most critical time in a generation for the country."

Miliband faced off against David Cameron in the 2015 general election and was famously tarnished by the then prime minister as someone who would bring a "coalition of chaos to the country".

Cameron tweeted: "Britain faces a simple and inescapable choice - stability and strong Government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband."

The MP for Doncaster North reacted to this again late last night when the tweet from Cameron was reshared to him from a journalist who said that it was "hard to think how it could have been more chaotic under Ed Miliband unless a giant lava sinkhole opened up beneath all of us".

Miliband joked: "I told you the secret 'giant lava sinkhole' plan was on background and not for use..."

Reacting to his attack over the Brexit shambles, social media praised Miliband with some reacting sarcastically: "I'm glad we avoided all that chaos you were planning Ed."

While Greg O Ceallaigh said: "God I bet that felt good to write."

Hopes for a Brexit deal had been high going into Monday, with the three thorny issues of citizen rights, the divorce bill and the Irish border all seemingly settled.

May had already booked time to make a big speech in the House of Commons today (5 December), which has now been cancelled while she now returns to the negotiating table with the DUP leadership.

The European Commision chief, Jean-Claude Juncker expressed hope that there was still a possibility of a deal being struck this week, paving the way for trade talks to begin.

The deal needs to be completed in the next few days, in order for it to be ratified by EU leaders at a summit next week.