French President Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron has suggested the UK could get a special trade deal with the EU after Brexit.
But he warned that Britain would not have full access to the single market without accepting its rules.
Speaking to Andrew Marr, he warned - as Brussels has already done - that the UK could not "cherry-pick" the elements it liked. A deal might fall somewhere between the single market and a trade agreement, he said. Macron's comments came during his first visit to the UK since becoming French president, where he held talks with Prime Minister Theresa May.
In the interview, to be broadcast on Sunday, the leader said the UK should not gain access to the single market without accepting its "preconditions", which include freedom of movement across the EU, budget contributions and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
"There should be no cherry-picking in the single market because that's a dismantling of the single market," he said."As soon as you decide not to join the [EU] preconditions it's not a full access. "What is important is to not make people believe that it is possible to [have your cake and eat it]." He said the UK could have "deeper relations" with the EU than other countries, as with Norway, but ruled out full single market access as "you decided to leave".
Macron said access to the EU for the UK's financial services sector was "not feasible" if the UK did not accept the obligations of the single market. But he insisted he did not want to "unplug" the City from the EU, adding: "It doesn't make sense, because it's part of the whole financing of our European Union."
He told Marr it was not too late for the UK to change its mind about remaining - describing the 2016 referendum as a "mistake". "I do respect this vote, I do regret this vote, and I would love to welcome you again," he said. "It's a mistake when you just ask 'yes' or 'no' when you don't ask people how to improve the situation and explain how to improve it."
Macron said he believed the Brexit vote mainly came from the middle and working classes, and older people, who "decided that the recent decade was not in their favor". "When I look at your debate it was too much favorable just for the City and less favorable for the rest of the country," he said.
Latest News