Appearing on the Marr show yesterday, and delivering his interview in impeccable, fluent English the French President Emmanuel Macron repeated his warning to the UK that full access to the EU’s single market for UK financial services is not feasible after Brexit.

Macron conceded that a special relationship would be possible for Britain to secure a bespoke trade deal, but the UK must adhere to specific stipulations. He reiterated that it was “not feasible” to secure any such deal or give full access to the single market without accepting the rules.

His interview with Andrew Marr was broadcast just days after a summit at Sandhurst with Theresa May where he (again) firmly rejected the idea of a tailored Brexit deal for Britain’s financial services industry without adhering to rules.

And the requirements clearly include being subject to the jurisdiction of the European Courts, something which although Macron wasn’t specific about is implicit in what he says.

President Macron can’t have been more explicit in his words. His interview with Marr was unambiguous which came after he had said precisely the same thing at the Sandhurst Summit.

There is a degree of clarity from Macron that the UK Government is just not listening to.
Even the CBI demanded that we have full access to the single market and customs union. It’s Director General Carolyn Fairbairn said in a speech last week that a comprehensive customs union is a “practical real answer.”

She also urged the Government to formulate a rapid agreement on the shape of a new deal. “Time is running out – by March next year our country will be out of the EU,” she added.

That remains to be seen as I still firmly believe the only sensible solution is to stop Brexit all together, and since the Government is in chaos and negotiations have not in any way moved forward (how can they when the UK Government is unclear about how to form the next stage of the negotiations,) this is a perfectly feasible solution.

But whatever else it does or doesn’t do the UK Government can’t go on ignoring statements of fact given by Macron, or our own Secretary General of the CBI.

They couldn’t be more candid about the consequences of Brexit for the UK- they are simply not being listened to.