'The best way to DISMANTLE the EU' Macron lets slip the Brexit negotiation tactic he fears
FRENCH president Emmanuel Macron has let slip a tactic that - if Britain was to implement when Brexit trade talks get underway in March - would lead to the utter destruction of the European Union.
Emmanuel Macron has claimed that the "best way to dismantle the EU" was for Britain to negotiate with countries one-by-one during the trade talks.
The French president admitted the EU elite in Brussels was desperately trying to keep the appearance of unity during Brexit talks.
European Council leader Donald Tusk and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker have previously voiced concern that the trade talks, set to start in March, will be the most difficult for European leaders to manage.
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There are several countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, who would suffer more than others from a bad Brexit deal, due to the strong trade links with Britain.
Britain has sought to gain an upper hand with these countries, including a charm offensive visit to German business groups last week by Phillip Hammond and Liam Fox.
Mr Macron, speaking to Andrew Marr this week, revealed if Britain was able to negotiate with individual countries in the bloc, the entire European project was at risk of collapse.
It would be ridiculous and the best way to dismantle the whole EU
He said: "Cooking the deal is the job of Michel Barnier. We have a very dedicated organisation.
"I don’t want to start a negotiation country-by-country.
"It would be ridiculous and the best way to dismantle the whole EU to do a country-by-country negotiation. We cannot allow this.
"What we have to do is take a decision in March about the mandate to give to Barnier on what he has to negotiate and keep it like that."
Later in the interview, the French leader conceded that French voters would quit the EU if France held an in/out referendum on the Brussels-led bloc.