May to meet Macron in the push to soften the approach of France to Brexit

Theresa May will urge President Emmanuel Macron this week to soften France's position on the Brexit or risk a chaotic UK departure from the EU that would be costly for Europe and Europe. would curb London's financial flows to the continent.

The British Prime Minister will meet Mr Macron on his retirement from Fort Brégançon in southern France on Friday and urge him to work with Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, to back a deal with France. "unprecedented" association with the United Kingdom.

Downing Street regards France as the biggest hurdle to an agreement on Brexit, with private ministers warning that Mr. Macron thinks he can extract jobs and financial services from London to Paris. it concludes a difficult market. British diplomats believe that Merkel is ready to soften the approach of the EU after a positive meeting with Ms. May earlier this month. A British official said the Chancellor was ready to give Michel Barnier, Brexit's chief negotiator for the EU, "more freedom" to reach an agreement

. Mr. Macron on his island at home this week. The two leaders will have a working session in the afternoon, followed by a dinner.

Jeremy Hunt, British Foreign Minister, also met with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, in Paris on Tuesday, and Dominic Raab, Brexit Secretary, will meet with French Minister Nathalie Loiseau of France Thursday.

Sajid Javid, UK Home Secretary, will travel to Dover on Thursday to assess Brexit's preparations during a visit that will highlight possible disruptions. on both sides of the Channel in case of Brexit "without agreement"

M. Hunt warned on Tuesday that the risk of such a result was "day by day" and that the European Commission was to abandon the idea that Britain would end up "blinking".

"This is just a deep misunderstanding of our nation," he said, stating to the Evening Standard: "France and Germany need to send a strong signal to the commission. Pragmatic and sensible that protects jobs on both sides of the Channel

"It's becoming more difficult for European companies to have access to finance, that is far from trivial. "If [the City] became a low-tax, low-regulation subsidiary outside the EU, it would find a way to prosper." But for European companies, the impact would be profound. "

Ms. May's diplomatic effort – planned between her summer holidays in Italy and Switzerland – aims to persuade the EU to adopt a more flexible bargaining stance during the summer. A crucial summit European leaders in Salzburg in September

Unless Mrs May can show that her draft Checkers compromise plan has gained popularity in Salzburg, she will be confronted with a torrid confrontation with the eurosceptics at British Conservative Party Conference October

Asked about the meeting at the Fort de Brégançon, a French official said Paris would insist that Barnier not be undermined by parallel discussions between the heads of state of France. the EU

"They ask to see us, we will listen of course," said the official. "But we will also reiterate some truths about the process."