Theresa May and the UK mocked by Europe’s press after PM’s speech outlining hard Brexit plans
One of Germany's broadsheets even hit out at the tough-talking Tory with the headline 'Little Britain'
EUROPEAN newspapers have responded to Theresa May's Brexit speech with a series of striking and hard-hitting front pages.
One of Germany's biggest selling broadsheets even mocked the tough-talking Prime Minister with the headline 'Little Britain'.
The PM confirmed on Tuesday that Britain will quit the single market and warned she will walk away from exit talks rather than accept any "punitive" deal.
The front page of German national daily Die Welt features Mrs May's torso with a Union flag in the background, and the words 'Little Britain' written below.
She is pictured wearing a blue checked blazer and white shirt with matching red lipstick and nail varnish - a nod to her previous 'red, white and blue' Brexit reference.
Italian daily La Repubblica leads with the headline 'Brexit, London gets its wall, away from the EU and the common market.'
The country's La Stampa splashes a similar line 'May: Out of Europe right away' and the Corriere della Sera features the PM's photograph at the centre of its front page reading 'Theresa May's clear cut.'
The Spanish newspaper El Pais does not top with Brexit, but there is a mention of Mrs May's speech in the top right of the title page.
Spain's second largest newspaper, El Mundo, states 'Theresa May renounces European Union to control immigration.'
It references the Prime Minister's announcement that Britain will leave the single market, adding that Mrs May is hoping for a hard Brexit subject to Parliament's vote.
It calls the announcement her 'most important speech' since entering to Downing Street.
A close-up of her face set against a Union flag dominates the front of Spanish newspaper ABC.
Its headline translates to: 'May threatens the EU with a commercial war.'
It warns that Britain will create a tax haven if the rest of Europe 'punishes' it during negotiations.
In France, Liberation splashed part of their front page with the speech, suggesting that with Brexit looming, Donald Trump about to take over the US presidency and the threat of Vladimir Putin, Europe was facing a 'sink or swim' moment.
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The rest of the page is dominated with a huge picture of Kim Kardashian.
Meanwhile, the country's Le Figaro newspaper states 'Theresa May ready to break completely with Europe.'
French regional daily La Depeche du Midi runs the stark headline: 'Europe: divorce a l'anglaise'.
Underneath it reads: 'The United Kingdom has chosen the path of a hard Brexit by announcing its exit from the single market. What consequences in Europe, France and in our region?'
Meanwhile, French daily Le Monde, like many other European papers, features another leader of a country not its own on the cover.
US President-elect Donald Trump stands can be seen from the back, one hand in the pocket of a navy blue suit, next to the words 'Trump contre L'Europe' (Trump against Europe).
Denmark's leading broadsheet paper Politiken featured May's speech prominently on its front, reading 'Brits slam the door hard on EU.'
Norway's Klassekampen writes 'Goodbye EU' adding 'May promises full break for Britain; promises tough demands for the EU.'
Czech daily, Dnes, writes 'Brexit according to May: no compromise' while the Irish Independent calls the Brexit open border plan 'an illusion' .
European figures have distanced themselves from the idea of punishing Britain for leaving the EU after the PM said she would rather quit negotiations than sign a punitive trade deal.
Czech secretary of state for EU affairs Tomas Prouza and Latvian ambassador to the UK Baiba Braze played down suggestions that Brussels could seek to deter other European countries from leaving the bloc by imposing tough trade terms on Britain.
It comes after the Prime Minister warned the EU that punishing the UK for quitting would be "an act of calamitous self-harm" and that she would rather walk away from talks than agree a bad a deal.
EU figures including the European Parliament's chief negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, have insisted the UK cannot enjoy better terms outside the union than member states.
But Mr Prouza said it was "definitely" in the EU's interest to have as free trade with the UK as possible, although he stressed there must be a way to enforce rules, given Mrs May's promise to leave the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "We have never seen any political leaders calling for any sort of punishment.
"What we want is something that makes sense to both sides."