Gisela Stuart said Germany’s political chaos is bad news for the European Union who looks to its wealthiest country for leadership on governance reform within the bloc.
But the German Chancellor’s dreams of a ‘Jamaica’ government have been left in tatters after coalition talks following September’s German elections collapsed.
EU members are now watching on nervously as their de facto leader struggles to regain control within her own country, long considered the economic powerhouse of the EU.
But Ms Stuart predicted Mrs Merkel will not manage to get back on her feet as Germany is in “turmoil” after the German leader declared she would rather force another election than team up with the far-right Alternative for Germany party.
Writing for the Daily Telegraph, the former vote Leave leader, said: “A new sensation is coursing through the German body politic: panic.
“Naturally, Chancellor Merkel did what she always does when things get tough – reassure her people ‘das schaffen wir’ – we can do this.
“Not this time. Her attempts to form a coalition have unexpectedly collapsed and Germany is in turmoil.”
The Labour Brexiteer said Angela Merkel’s dilemma has unveiled deep-rooted problems in the EU and warned the breakdown would have long-term lasting damage.
Launching a scathing attack on the EU superstate, Ms Stuart said: “It does raise wider issues about consensus, democratic legitimacy and the future of the EU.
“We are talking tectonic plates here, not just local difficulties.
“Before we had a single currency it was perfectly possible to talk about a two-speed Europe, but there has never been a currency union without a political union.
“With its dream of creating a supranational identity, replacing ideology with a bureaucratic promise of a better tomorrow and becoming a significant global player, the EU has over-stretched itself.”
Ms Stuart said voters were not behind Brussels and its overhaul to reform the bloc, leading to the rise of eurosceptic parties.
She said: “Last week, 23 EU members signed a defence pact to increase military cooperation.
“Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron sketches out his plans for a refounding of the European project, Jean-Claude Juncker delivers aspirational speeches, and there are suggestions that the European Parliament seats vacated by departing British MEPs be given to members elected from a pan-European list.
“Politicians may have stopped talking about a United States of Europe, but all their actions point to one.
“There is just one problem: the voters aren’t with them – not even, as the failure to form a government has shown, in Germany.
“And in a democracy, that is a fatal flaw. The failure of the German coalition negotiations reflects the deeper fracture of democratic consent apparent across the EU.”
However, Ms Stuart conceded she had “no doubt” the German government would find a “short-term solution” to their current crisis.
She said: “It has a functioning government and while this is inconvenient for Brexit talks, it’s all manageable.”