A German satirist and MEP has demanded Ireland be thrown out of the European Union for refusing to accept €13 billion of what the European Commission views as illegal state aid.

Martin Sonneborn, founder of the party ‘Die Partei’ (The Party) told the European Parliament that expelling Ireland was an important signal to show that Europe was there for its citizens and not multinational concerns.

Switching to heavily accented English, he read out an address to President Michael D Higgins, whom he addressed as “Dear Mr President”.

“If you still believe that Apple will create some Jobs in Ireland, forget it. Apple only ever had one Jobs but he is dead. He will not come back,” he said.

“So please take my advice: take the money and run. €13 billion will buy you many, many iPhones. This will generate more tax income for Ireland. Then you can buy even more iPhones. It is a win-win-win situation. Think it over with a good bottle of whiskey. Sláinte.”

Follow Britain

If Ireland failed to take the money and run, Mr Sonneborn suggested Ireland should follow Britain out of the EU – along with Hungary, a nod to a call by Luxembourg’s foreign minister Jean Asselborn to expel the Hungarians for refusing to accept refugees.

Before heading to Brussels, Mr Sonneborn was editor-in-chief of German satirical magazine Titanic. He founded his party, "Die Partei" in 2004, and, if elected, vowed to rebuild the Berlin Wall.

After being elected to the parliament in 2014, on the slogan “Yes to Europe. No to Europe. Die Partei”, he promised to quit after a month, collect his pension, and pass his mandate onto another party member who could then do the same.

But he has stayed and is now member of the parliament’s cultural committee and the delegation for relations to the Korean peninsula.