France vows to defy Boris Johnson over Brexit deadline and says EU will take up to three years to seal trade deal

FRANCE vowed to defy Boris Johnson over his Brexit deadline saying the EU would take up to three years to negotiate a trade deal with him.

Emmanuel Macron's top Europe adviser Amelie de Montchalin came out swinging as Brussels chief Ursula von der Leyen urged the PM to ditch his red lines.

The French EU minister said trade talks would be "a major arm twisting game" and the UK had more to lose from leaving without a deal.

She declared: "If Boris Johnson says it must end in 11 months from now and we need 15, 24, or 36 months, the EU27 will take their time."

Her remarks came as part of mounting calls from across Europe for Mr Johnson to U-turn on his vow not to extend the transition.

The transition period, during which nothing changes as Britain continues to follow all EU rules, ends on December 31, but can be extended by two years.

Brussels attempted to ramp up pressure on the PM yesterday with Mrs von der Leyen pushing him to rethink his aim of a basic trade deal.

ONGOING FREE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE

The EU Commission chief insisted the bloc still wants to "explore" the possibility of a soft Brexit including ongoing free movement of people.

Her remarks came despite the PM telling her in a face-to-face meeting this week that he wants a Canada-style free trade agreement.

Speaking in Croatia, she said: "It is now time to explore the room – how close or distant the UK wants to be to the EU, its rules, and the Single Market.

"We're very open to it. We want a strong and good partnership."

British officials have already started trawling through the bloc's free trade agreements with other countries, including Canada and Japan, picking out the best bits.

They are also adding elements from the EU's negotiating mandates for deals with Australia and New Zealand into their own package of demands.

Yesterday Eurocrats tried to put the squeeze on Britain further by preparing to offer the City of London a bare-bones banking package.

The Commission will offer the UK access to the continent based on equivalence, which can be unilaterally revoked with just 30 days' notice.

Eurocrats warned in a meeting with EU diplomats yesterday that this would leave the UK facing a "large gap with the Single Market".

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