UK cannot 'cherry pick' EU single market deal, Barnier tells BBC

Barnier also compared Reform leader Nigel Farage to French politician Marine Le Pen. He said: "We have our own Farage. It is Mrs Le Pen. The same populism, the same lies, the same false promises."

Asked by Kuenssberg to clarify what he was referring to with his accusation of lies, Barnier said "for instance, when Mr Farage and Mr Johnson promised the UK people to get back [£350] million per week, it was not true, it was not possible. It was a lie".

The Vote Leave campaign, of which Boris Johnson became a key figure, has been criticised previously for the slogan on the side of their campaign bus that said Britain sent £350m a week to the EU, adding: "Let's fund our NHS instead".