France and Britain ‘will rip each other apart in trade talks’

... as retailers warn of price hikes if deal is not reached

FRANCE yesterday warned Boris Johnson to expect a bitter, bloody battle in Brexit trade talks – as its foreign minister predicted the two sides would ‘rip each other apart’.

Jean-Yves le Drian said it would be hard to achieve Britain’s aim of agreeing a free trade deal by the end of the year as the nations are at odds over a range of issues.

Tonight, Britain’s EU negotiator David Frost will make a speech in Brussels reiterating that the UK will not bow to EU demands to stick to its rules on workers’ rights and environmental protections.

London and Brussels have already clashed over rules for British financial firms’ access to the EU after Brexit.

And retailers last night warned that consumers will face higher costs and reduced availability of goods if a free trade deal is not reached by the end of the year.

Britain formally left the EU two weeks ago but will continue to trade like a member under a transition period lasting until the end of this year.

Speaking at a Munich security conference, Mr Le Drian said: ‘I think that on trade issues and the mechanism for future relations, which we are going to start on, we are going to rip each other apart. But that is part of negotiations, everyone will defend their own interests.’

The remaining 27 member states are currently drawing up their mandate for the talks on the future relationship, with France in particular pushing for a strong stance – notably on fishing.

France and several other countries want to keep fishing in British waters, while London wants full autonomy and limited access for European fishermen. ‘Let’s hope the talks are done as quickly as possible, but there are a lot of issues and some difficult points to deal with,’ said Mr Le Drian, who is from the fishing region of Brittany.

The bloc’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the EU’s top priorities are fishing, security and maintaining fair trading conditions for European companies.

Mr Frost’s speech this evening will set out Britain’s preferred trade deal, demanding the same terms as Canada, South Korea and Japan.

He will say Britain does not want a special, bespoke or unique deal but one that includes the benefits offered to other countries. Last night a Government spokesman said: ‘We want a relationship based on friendly co- operation between sovereign equals, one centred on free trade and inspired by our shared history and values.’

The British Retail Consortium last night pointed out that almost 80 per cent of all food imported by UK retailers comes from within the EU, making the negotiations particularly important for these essential goods.

It said there was no possibility of a return to frictionless trade under the Government’s present negotiating stance.

It also called for action to mitigate this, including a zerotariff trade deal, co-ordination on VAT, customs and excise procedures, and advance information on new checks and paperwork.

Helen Dickinson, the consortium’s chief executive, said the Government must ‘ set about to negotiate a zero-tariff agreement that minimises checks and red tape’.

‘Friendly co-operation’