France won’t ‘punish’ Britain says foreign minister after Boris Johnson accused Francois Hollande of wanting to dish out ‘beatings’ over Brexit

FRANCE’S foreign minister says it has no intention of “punishing” Britain over Brexit after Boris Johnson accused Francois Hollande of wanted to dish out ‘beatings’ following the vote.

The Foreign Secretary sparked a war of words when he compared their President to a World War Two prison guard yesterday.

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He said proposed trade tariffs on Britain after it exits the bloc were like the punishments meted out to prisoners who tried to escape in movies about the conflict.

But in response Jean-Marc Ayrault said Mr Johnson's claim was an attempt to divert attention from the potential consequences of leaving the European Union.

"This is not about 'punishing' the United Kingdom, that is not France's stance," he told reporters.

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The Cabinet minister's statement was a "smokescreen to allow those who supported Brexit to play down the impact on people, because they can clearly see the negative consequences", Ayrault added.

France has been particularly critical of the post-Brexit British government, with Finance Minister Michel Sapin saying this week it appeared to be "improvising" and had no real plan for an exit.

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Mr Ayrault also said Britain will not be allowed to cherry-pick over details on forthcoming Brexit negotiations, after Theresa May confirmed the UK would be leaving the Single Market.

"There will be no cherry picking. But there is no question of punishing the United Kingdom. That is not the position of France," the minister added.

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It comes after the Dutch Prime Minister has warned Britain will pay a "huge price" for putting immigration control ahead of being part of the single market.

Mark Rutte said the PM’s decision would have a "huge impact on the economic growth rate".

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said the UK "is now making a choice to control migration, and they are paying a huge price because the economic growth rate of the UK will be impacted negatively by the fact that it will leave the biggest market in the world".

He added: "So they are willing to pay the price, but it has also a consequence for the rest of Europe but particularly for the UK."