Whiskey Connoisseurs know the value of a good whiskey and are ready to shell out good money for a taste of the extraordinary ones.<br /><br /> Single malt is malt whisky from a single distillery and is typically associated with single malt Scotch while Cognac is made by distilling wine for a second time to make a clear 70 per cent alcohol known as “eau de vie” or fruit brandy. <br /><br /> In India, an 18-year old Single Malt scotch can start from Rs. 5000 while a great sipping cognac can start at Rs. 8000 because of its rarity and production process. <br /><br /><strong>Seeped in history and tradition<br /><br /></strong> In the town of Cognac, in the department of Charente, <keyword id="6354785" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="france">France</keyword> is a cognac that has its roots dating back to 1874, when <keyword id="227679" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="remy-martin">Remy Martin</keyword> himself designed a glass flask as a vessel. This vessel was named after <keyword id="5950695" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="king-louis-xiii">King Louis XIII</keyword> who encouraged the sale of ‘eau de vie’ under his reign.<br /><br /> Since then each generation of Cellar Master is entrusted with the responsibility of taking the tradition forward by selecting in the House’s cellars the oldest and greatest eaux-de-vie for the yearly <keyword id="853096" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="louis-xiii">Louis XIII</keyword> collection. <br /><br /><strong>Ten decades of opulence<br /></strong><br /> Today, Baptiste <keyword id="5565018" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="loiseau">Loiseau</keyword><sup>, </sup>the current Cellar Master selects the house’s best eaux-de-vie to age which can be used to create the Louis XIII blend in next 100 years. The final blend is composed of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vie, 100% from Grande Champagne which is the first vineyard region of the Cognac region in France.<br /><br /> When I got the opportunity to try the ultimate luxurious cognac by Remy Martin which sells at Rs. 2 Lakhs and above in India, I was curious to say the least. Mr. Loiseau guided me into the experience by telling stories entailing the journey of the bottle and his own life which revolves around carrying tradition over centuries. The fact that his work in creating the next batch of this exquisite liqueur will be tasted by patrons in the next century is a honor that he wears proudly during the tasting.  <br /><br /><strong>Experiencing a lifetime  <br /></strong><br /> Starting with the bottle, the Louis XIII is a piece of art and retains its design which has been passed on for generations. As we popped open the bottle carefully I noticed the hand-crafted crystal bottle that features French royalty symbols and a 21-carat <keyword id="18712" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gold">gold</keyword> neck. The glasses that accompany the bottle are also hand-crafted and are designed for the eaux-de-vie itself.<br /><br /> In the first sniff the 100-year old brandy wakes you up by its strong aroma. In the first sip, it stings your throat and you are overwhelmed with different flavors. When you sniff the brandy after that, it smells fruity with hints of rose, plums and honey. The next sip tastes of spices such as thyme coupled with ginger and passion fruit. It truly is an roller coaster experience for the senses.<br /><br /> Baptiste Loiseau, Cellar Master, House of Remy Martin told Business Insider, “Louis XIII is crafted for celebrations and at every sip you will enjoy the taste differently as it takes over your palette and your nose. The carefully crafted eaux-de-vie is matured in oak casks from French forests which maintain the balance with the air and the wood. The casks cannot be replaced just like the maturation method and this is what makes the Louis XIII so special as an experience.”<br /><br /> Every year, the Cellar Master selects the batch of Louis XIII that can be created and as it is a natural process dependent on the weather, the soil and the casket, only the next chosen master at the turn of the century knows when its ready to be experienced.<br />

What it's like tasting the Louis XIII de Remy Martin which is priced starting Rs. 2 lakhs

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b88fb568905f2fa1e8b4bae-1024/michel barnier brexit talks.jpg" border="0" alt="michel barnier Brexit talks" data-mce-source="Getty" /><p class="source"><span>Getty</span></p><p class="caption">Michel Barnier meets Theresa May</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Dominic Raab and Michel Barnier to hold six hours of Brexit talks on Friday.</strong></li><li><strong>The pair will take stock of Brexit talks before holding an afternoon press conference.</strong></li><li><strong>The <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> and EU are still a "long way off" a deal on the Northern Irish backstop, senior EU source tells BI.</strong></li><li><strong>The pound surged this week following suggestions that Barnier and Emmanuel Macron were softening their Brexit positions.</strong></li><li><strong>Both Barnier and French minister, Nathalie Loiseau, have shot down this suggestion.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p> </p><p>LONDON - UK and EU negotiators are still a "long way off" from making a breakthrough in talks, a senior EU source has told Business Insider, as the two sides prepare to meet for six hours of talks on Friday.</p><p>The British press has recently jumped on suggestions that the EU could be softening its position following interventions from chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier and French president Emmanuel Macron.</p><p>However, figures in Brussels were quick to shoot down suggestions that Barnier was softening his position, and pointed out that the EU has always been prepared to strike an unprecedented Brexit deal, as long as it respects the bloc's red lines.</p><p>Barnier <a href="https://t.co/D1hprrpjb5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told German media outlet Deutschlandfunk </a> that the Brexit withdrawal agreement could not be "built to the detriment of who we are" and said: "we have to preserve and protect what makes us."</p><p>On Friday morning, Nathalie Loiseau, the French minister for European Affairs, told the Today programme that she was "surprised" to see the British press suggest that President Macron was softening his Brexit position.</p><p>"First and foremost, The unity of the 27 and support towards Michel Barnier is extremely strong," Loiseau told Today.</p><p>"And second, what the President mentioned in the conference of ambassadors earlier this week, was something he already mentioned last year. That is to say that in the future, there is going to be an EU that needs to be reformed, and there's going to be strong relations with countries outside the EU. Especially the UK, but also Russia and Turkey.</p><p>"This is what he said last September and repeated this week. There is no news around this."</p><p>She added: "The problem with the current proposal of the UK government is it would join the benefits rights of Norway with the obligations of Canada... There has to be a balance of rights and obligations."</p><p>UK Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, will meet for six hours on Friday "to take stock" of the current state of Brexit talks, before a short press conference this afternoon.</p><p>The two sides need to reach an agreement on the thorny issue of the Northern Irish backstop - the fallback option to take effect if talks on future trade fail to preserve the open border on the island of Ireland.</p><p>An agreement on the backstop is still "a long way off," senior EU source told Business Insider. There are just over six weeks until the October European Council summit, where negotiators had hoped to finalise a withdrawal deal.</p><p><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/pound-dollar-price-wednesday-august-29-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The pound surged this week</a> after Barnier said the EU was ready to strike an unprecedented deal with the UK. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/macron-is-prepared-to-throw-may-a-brexit-lifeline-and-stop-britain-crashing-out-without-a-deal-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This was followed by reports</a> that French President Emmanuel Macron would urge EU leaders to be more generous to Britain.</p><p class="tagline">Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/267178180471848/">here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-want-tiny-small-japanese-sports-kei-car-autozam-az1-2018-7">Why Americans want this tiny Japanese sports car</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/iF8K7TNJ-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

The EU warns May that a Brexit breakthrough is still 'a long way off'

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b9a6db88ea82f1b008b5fd6-1200/gettyimages-969767664.jpg" border="0" alt="Emmanuel Macron Theresa May" data-mce-source="Leon Neal/Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Leon Neal/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">French President Emmanuel Macron and <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> Prime Minister Theresa May</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>The French Minister for European Affairs, Nathalie Loiseau, said a no-deal Brexit would mean planes and trains would be turned away from Europe.</strong></li><li><strong>She said flights and Eurostar services would be hit due to EU regulations no-longer applying to UK transportation.</strong></li><li><strong>Her comments come as the UK government release a tranche of new papers warning about the impact of a no-deal Brexit.</strong></li></ul><p>LONDON - British planes and Eurostar trains would be turned back from Europe under a no-deal Brexit, France's Europe minister has warned.</p><p>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."</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p class="tagline">Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/267178180471848/">here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yifang-mudflip-taiwan-bubble-tea-brand-opens-in-london-2018-8">This Taiwanese tea is so popular in London that it's only sold twice a day and is limited to 1 per person</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/hL9GmJHc-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

France says British planes and Eurostar trains would be turned away from Europe under a no-deal Brexit

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="107893" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="GOP">GOP</keyword> has called for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/georgia-calls-to-boycott-coca-cola-after-georgia-voting-restrictions-2021-3">a boycott of Coca-Cola</a> after the company disparaged Georgia's new voting law.</li><li>This is not the first time the GOP has deemed <keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Food">food</keyword> products unpatriotic.</li><li>In 2003, GOP Rep. Bob Ney renamed French fries "freedom Fries" in congressional cafeterias.</li></ul><p>See if this sounds familiar: Republicans get upset over <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-united-delta-coke-companies-against-georgia-voting-law-elections-2021-4">an entity that publicly disagrees with one of their policies</a>. They call for a boycott and rename and mock products originating from the objecting party, attempting to shame them into a reversal.</p><p>GOP congressmen and their supporters hit the airwaves, making half-threats and jingoistic calls for obedience as a distraction. Oppositional outrage over the actual policy is sidelined in favor of a discourse of pettiness and blame.</p><p>We're not talking about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-expands-list-companies-boycott-georgia-law-opposition-2021-4">Woke Coke</a> here. We're talking about french fries.</p><p>In the 18 months following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, then-President George W Bush assembled a "coalition of the willing" with the aim of invading Iraq (a country that had nothing to do with the unprecedented attacks) and removing President Saddam Hussein from power.</p><p>While Bush enjoyed fairly broad domestic support as Americans rallied behind his administration, the view from Europe - which had its own history of terrorism - was more nuanced, and many countries didn't buy the "either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists" line Bush made famous in a speech to <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> in the weeks after the attacks.</p><p>The Orwellian sloganeering coming from the White House fell on a lot of deaf ears. And at least one pair of them belonged to French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, who, as a member of the United Nations Security Council, pledged to veto any resolution mandating an invasion of Iraq and refused to provide military support to the coalition.</p><p>De Villepin said the US, which was represented at the UN by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell, had failed to convincingly connect the dots between Osama Bin-Laden's Al-Qaeda and Iraq, or show any evidence the country had weapons of mass destruction.</p><p>This did not go over well with Republicans. But unlike the canceling of Coke, this campaign started with a constituent, Neal Rowland, a North Carolina restaurateur. </p><div type="image" title="GettyImages 1806193" height="2015" width="3000" msid="81943025" hostid="261"></div><p>Rowland, the owner of Cubbie's, a sports bar in Beaufort, NC, came up with the idea to rename the foodstuff as "freedom fries," citing the anti-German sentiment that led to the renaming of sauerkraut as "liberty cabbage" and frankfurters as "hot dogs" during WWI (though the term "hot dog" was coined in the late 1800s, and not as a reaction to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand).</p><p>"Since the French are backing down, french fries and french-everything needs to be banned," Rowland told Fox News in 2003. "Fry sales have really gone up," he said. "People who eat them now say, 'Freedom never tasted so good.'"</p><p>The french toast at Cubbie's was also renamed, though "Freedom Toast" lacked alliterative appeal and never quite caught on.</p><p>As publicity stunts go, Rowland's patriotic ploy worked, catching the attention of North Carolina GOP Rep. Walter B. Jones. A staunch proponent of the war, Jones contacted Rep. Robert W. Ney, who, as chairman of the House Administration Committee, was in charge of restaurants in the Capitol.</p><p>"I wasn't going to try to make an issue out of it, but my chief of staff said, 'Just write Bob Ney; he'll just throw it in the trash can,'" Jones told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He98Ix08_IU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Russian news agency RT</a> in 2011.</p><p>By all accounts, Ney made a unilateral decision, a trendy move at the time, and ordered the cafeterias to strike the adjective "french" from both fries and toasts alike in lieu of the modifier "freedom," which was considered more appetizing.</p><p>What was supposed to be a "lighthearted gesture" turned into a media frenzy, with a slew of reporters showing up for the rededication of oil-encrusted tubers. "This action today is a small but symbolic effort to show the strong displeasure many on Capitol Hill have with our so-called ally, <keyword id="6354785" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="france">France</keyword>," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/02/11/freedom-never-tasted-so-good-how-walter-jones-helped-rename-french-fries-over-iraq-war/">Ney said</a> at a news conference at the cafeteria.</p><p>The idea of "freedom fries" resonated with the public to the point where French officials had to entertain questions about the initiative. </p><p>''Honestly," Nathalie Loiseau, a spokeswoman for the French Embassy, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/12/us/threats-responses-washington-talk-order-fries-please-but-hold-french.html">The New York Times</a> in 2003, "We are working these days on very, very serious issues of war and peace, life or death. We are not working on potatoes.'' </p><p>This was not a short-lived phenomenon: Freedoms fries and toast remained on the menu at the Capitol until July 2006. "Freedom" as it turns out, is a fantastic rebranding strategy.</p><p>Jones, who died on his birthday in 2019 and whose obituary in <a href="https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/6/121507/US-lawmaker-known-for-'freedom-fries'-and-'freedom-toast'-dies-toast'-dies">The Standard was headlined,</a> "US lawmaker known for 'freedom fries' and 'freedom toast' dies," eventually recanted his support for the war, and for patriotic potatoes: "Because I did not do my job then," Jones said, "I helped kill 4,000 Americans, and I will go to my grave regretting that."</p><p><a href="https://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-now/2007/07/freedom-fries-creator-waves-goodbye-to-walter-jones-002068">Rowland also softened his position after a time</a>, saying his initial impulse was "about supporting our troops. Nothing has changed here. We still support our troops, and we still call them freedom fries."</p><p>Cubbie's closed in 2009. <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/cubbies-beaufort">The last Yelp entry reads</a>, "A restaurant that fueled hatred towards the french for not supporting our war in Iraq... 1 star that's all you get.."</p><p>As for <a href="https://twitter.com/bobney?lang=en">Bob Ney</a>, he resigned from Congress after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy in relation to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lobbyist-jack-abramoff-to-plead-guilty-in-cryptocurrency-fraud-case-2020-6">Jack Abramoff</a> Indian lobbying scandal and served 17 months in prison. He now hosts a podcast.</p><p>France remains a country, with a GDP of 2.7 trillion per year, while Coca-Cola squeaks by with around $35 billion. Odds are they both survive <keyword id="155317" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Republican">Republican</keyword> <keyword id="9289051" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cancel-culture">cancel culture</keyword>. Freedom may taste good, though ultimately, a fry by any other name tastes just as salty.</p>

Coca-Cola isn't the first food product the GOP has sought to cancel. 20 years ago, they tried it with french fries.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bcc54e8bac52b45ee01dbd2-1051/gettyimages-995069410.jpg" border="0" alt="Dominic Raab" data-mce-source="Jack Taylor/Getty" /></div></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab admits there probably won't be a time-limited Brexit backstop.</strong></li><li><strong>Theresa May's government originally told the EU it could not accept any backstop arrangement without a fixed end date. The backstop is the insurance policy for protecting the invisible Irish border.</strong></li><li><strong>Pro-Brexit Conservatives have said they will not accept a backstop without a specific end date.</strong></li><li><strong>However, Raab and another Brexit minister, Suella Braverman, admitted on Sunday that the government is prepared to scrap that red line.</strong></li><li><strong>May faces another dangerous week with Conservative MPs urging each other to oust her.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p> </p><p>LONDON - Dominic Raab and another UK Brexit minister have conceded that the Brexit "backstop" probably will not have a fixed end date, putting Theresa May's government on a collision course with pro-Leave MPs.</p><p>Pro-Brexit MPs both in the prime minister's Cabinet and on the Conservative backbenches have said that the backstop clause for preserving the frictionless Irish border after Brexit must have an explicit end date.</p><p>This is because they fear the backstop could result in Britain remaining in the EU's customs arrangements for years or potentially decades to come, leaving UK governments unable to sign new trade deals with other countries.</p><p>However, at the European Council summit in Brussels this week, <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/theresa-may-eu-commission-summit-brexit-talks-negotiation-take-it-or-leave-it-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May effectively killed off the prospect of a fixed end date</a>, refusing to deny <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/theresa-may-told-irish-pm-leo-varadkar-brexit-backstop-cant-have-time-limit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a> that she told the Irish government there will not be a specific time-limit.</p><p>On Sunday morning, UK Brexit Secretary Raab told Andrew Marr that the backstop clause, which both sides need to resolve for there to be any Brexit deal, might have "another mechanism" rather than an explicit end date.</p><p>"It would be rather odd if we remained in a temporary mechanism without a route out. It could be time-limited, it could be another mechanism," Raab told Marr. "<span>There needs to be something for controlling how long we are there for to avoid any sense we are left indefinitely in a sort of customs union limbo."</span></p><p>He was echoed by Brexit minister Suella Braverman, who told Sky News that the length of the backstop could be determined by an alternative "very clear mechanism," such as conditions for deciding when it can be removed.</p><p>Raab and Braverman's comments square with the latest noises coming out of Brexit negotiations.</p><p>A Cabinet source <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/theresa-may-brussels-eu-council-summit-no-deal-brexit-more-likely-than-ever-before-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told BI this week</a> that May was focused on creating something which "feels" like a time-limit, rather than an actual end date. Her spokesperson also suggested that she was willing to scrap the time-limit red line, telling reporters that her priority was establishing "a mechanism to clearly define how" the backstop will end.</p><p>The UK government's apparent concession comes as May prepares for perhaps the most dangerous week of her premiership, with MPs on all sides of her party calling for her to step down as Tory leader and prime minister.</p><p>Johnny Mercer, one of the party's most highly-rated MPs, <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/theresa-may-enters-killing-zone-lbv0rrxb5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he "cannot continue to support an administration that cannot function" amid heavy speculation that May could face a leadership challenge this week.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bcc543ed2e6480a04758ba2-1200/gettyimages-676064020.jpg" border="0" alt="Theresa May Johnny Mercer" data-mce-source="Dylan Martinez/WPA Pool/Getty Images" /></div></div></div></p><p>The current impasse in Brexit talks hinges on the so-called "backstop," which is designed to prevent a hard border emerging between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit.</p><p>Under May's preferred version of the backstop, the whole of the UK would effectively stay in the customs union temporarily after the 21-month transition period has ended if no alternative arrangements have been secured.</p><p>Pro-Brexit Conservative MPs have been adamant that such an arrangement would have to come with a fixed end date to ensure that Britain doesn't end up trapped in the EU's strict customs regime for years and years.</p><p>A Cabinet source told BI last week that pro-Brexit ministers Andrea Leadsom, Esther McVey, and Penny Mordaunt could quit if there is no fixed end date. <span>This isn't just one more little compromise from the prime minister to get a deal over the line... it is the litmus test for taking back control... this is the killer moment, <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/theresa-may-weekend-to-change-her-brexit-backstop-plan-and-avoid-cabinet-resignations-2018-10?r=UK&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they said.</a></span></p><p>Nathalie Loiseau, France's Europe minister, reiterated the EU's insistence that the backstop cannot come with an end date. She told Marr: "We can't have temporary measures that disappear and we don't know what to do after that."</p><p class="tagline">Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/267178180471848/">here.</a></p>

May faces another Brexit backlash after scrapping promise of time-limited backstop

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b8febd504f1621c008b59b9-1200/gettyimages-906701144.jpg" border="0" alt="Theresa May Emmanuel Macron" data-mce-source="WPA Pool / Pool / Getty" /><p class="source"><span>WPA Pool / Pool / Getty</span></p><p class="caption"><keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Key Macron ally tells Business Insider that France will not compromise in Brexit talks.</strong></li><li><strong>The secretary of the French parliament's Brexit mission, Alexandre Holroyd, says France's commitment to the single market overrides concern about Britain crashing out without a deal.</strong></li><li><strong> "We are not going to bargain 70 years of integration on that deal."</strong></li><li><strong>His comments come as the French Europe Minister dismisses reports that France will budge in order to save Theresa May's Brexit plans.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>LONDON - The French government will oppose a Brexit deal which in "any way, shape, or form" compromises the integrity of the European single market, the secretary of the French parliament's Brexit mission has told Business Insider, dismissing reports that France is ready to compromise in order to prevent Britain from crashing out of the EU.</p><p>Reports in recent weeks have suggested that France was moving towards supporting Theresa May's proposed 'Chequers' Brexit plan, which would allow Britain to remain in a single market for goods with the EU after Brexit.</p><p>However, Alexandre Holroyd, the French MP for Northern Europe who travelled to Denmark and Finland with President Macron last week, told BI that while France was "committed" to finding a deal, "we are not going to bargain 70 years of integration on that deal."</p><p>He described the Theresa May's Chequers proposals - which would keep the UK closely aligned with EU rules for goods after Brexit, but retain the freedom to diverge on services - as "a step in the right direction."</p><p>But he said that while concern over the prospect of a no-deal Brexit is high in Paris, there is still no appetite to compromise the security of the single market to secure a deal.</p><p>"If you measure the concern on one side of the channel versus another, it's very clear where that concern is highest," he said.</p><p>"[But] that concern will not override considerations about protecting a project which we've been building for 70 years together.</p><p>"We need to find a practically functionable system which ensures from [France's] perspective that the long-term prospects of the single market aren't jeopardised."</p><p>Holroyd's comments were echoed on Wednesday by the French Europe Minister <span>Nathalie Loiseau.</span></p><p><span>"I read the British press on a daily basis and sometimes I wonder whether we live in the same world," she said.</span></p><p>"We will not redefine our basic principles because the UK doesn't want to belong to the European Union any more. We have described our priorities and they are not subject to negotiation."</p><p>The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has also poured scorn on the Chequers plan in the past week, describing aspects of the customs proposals as "insane" and potentially illegal.</p><h2>The biggest obstacle to a Brexit deal?</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b8ff9b5959f34202e8b572f-1201/unnamed.jpg" border="0" alt="Alexandre Holroyd" data-mce-source="Office of Alexandre Holroyd" /><p class="source"><span>Office of Alexandre Holroyd</span></p><p class="caption">Alexandre Holroyd</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The French government has been characterised as a particularly intransigent member state in the context of Brexit. Former Foreign Secretary William Hague said in August that British negotiators believe that France "is the biggest national obstacle to a Brexit deal" and the key to softening the EU's firm position on Brexit.</p><p>But Holroyd insisted that characterisation of France's position was unfair, and said member states were widely unified in their opposition to the prospect of softening the EU's own red lines.</p><p>"There's a [common] description of France being the head of one group of member states within the EU 28, and the UK being another," he told BI.</p><p>"But there are lots of small member states who have nearly exactly the same position as France."</p><p>"Some people like to portray it as France being [hostile]. I don't think that's the case," he said, adding that President Macron had been the first European leader to call for a tailored deal.</p><p>He said that Britain's traditional European allies of Britain, such as Holland, and countries widely perceived to be more open to making concessions to the UK, such as Poland, are equally opposed to softening the EU's red lines as France, Holroyd said.</p><p>"Ask the Polish foreign minister about Polish citizens' rights in the UK. He is as intransigent as any other leader in the EU," he said.</p><p>"Go to Holland, and you find that the Dutch have an attachment to the rule of law, and of European law in particular, which means they consider any compromise to European single market law as completely unacceptable."</p><p>"Some people like to portray it as France being [hostile]. I don't think that's the case," he said, adding that President Macron had been the first European leader to call for a tailored deal.</p><p>The UK's Brexit secretary Dominic Raab travels to Brussels on Thursday to resume technical talks with Barnier.</p> <p class="tagline">Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/267178180471848/">here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/is-drinking-diet-soda-unhealthy-2018-8">What drinking diet soda does to your body and brain</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/tzhPZ9sl-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

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