France says British planes and Eurostar trains would be turned away from Europe under a no-deal Brexit
- The French Minister for European Affairs, Nathalie Loiseau, said a no-deal Brexit would mean planes and trains would be turned away from Europe.
- She said flights and Eurostar services would be hit due to EU regulations no-longer applying to UK transportation.
- Her comments come as the UK government release a tranche of new papers warning about the impact of a no-deal Brexit.
LONDON - British planes and Eurostar trains would be turned back from Europe under a no-deal Brexit, France's Europe minister has warned.
Nathalie Loiseau, the French minister for European affairs, told an event in London that reports that British planes and Eurostar trains travelling from London to Paris would be turned back under a no-deal Brexit were "correct," adding: "If we reach no agreement this is what will happen, among other things."
She said the threat of such dramatic consequences underlined the importance of France and other European countries preparing for the scenario where the UK fails to strike a deal before it leaves the EU in March next year.
Louiseau was speaking at a Chatham House event in London after she met Brexit secretary Dominic Raab in Downing Street. She said that France would look at introducing "unilateral measures" designed to avoid chaos next year, but said it was impossible for EU member states to make more specific bilateral agreements with the UK because they are prevented from doing so by EU rules.
While the minister insisted that France wanted an "orderly" Brexit, and said both sides were confident of reaching an "ambitious" deal, she warned that France would not settle for a "bad deal" in order to avoid the UK crashing out without any agreement.