May warned she won’t get helping hand from Macron

Prime Minister Theresa May has been warned not to expect a Brexit breakthrough in talks with Emmanuel Macron today.

The UK’S former ambassador to France said Mr Macron was “the last person” to want to break ranks with the rest of the European Union to push for a softer stance from Brussels.

Lord Ricketts also criticised foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt’s repeated warnings about the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, saying it was obvious to continental leaders the UK was not prepared for such a scenario.

Mrs May will cut short her Italian holiday to hold talks with the French president at his country retreat.

Lord Ricketts, who was the UK’S ambassador in Paris from 2012 to 2016, said the staunchly pro-eu Mr Macron was unlikely to give ground. He questioned the UK government’s plan of trying to deal directly with national leaders instead of the European Commission in Brussels. Lord Ricketts said Mr Macron “doesn’t believe in softening” the position on Brexit as “he is a passionate pro-european”.

The crossbench peer said: “Secondly, he is the last person to want to break ranks with what has been quite an impressively disciplined EU side.

“I’m all for Theresa May going and talking to Macron. There’s lots to talk about – security and all sorts of other things – but I think we have got to accept we have got to do the hard yards of negotiating in Brussels.”