France: EU shouldn’t ‘fall into trap’ by ending Brexit talks now

The EU is right to continue talking to Britain for now, and should not overreact to British tactics that could be aimed at pushing Brussels to break off negotiations over a Brexit trade deal, France’s European affairs minister said on Thursday.

Asked in parliament whether the EU should stop talks on the trade deal immediately, the French minister, Clement Beaune, said: “At this stage, we’re right to continue to discuss with the British.”

“Some on the other side of the Channel could be trying to push us into making mistakes,” Beaune told lawmakers. “Then they will say: ‘it’s the Europeans who don’t want a deal, we in Britain have made our best efforts’.”

“We shouldn’t fall into the trap”. He added