Boris Johnson to hold talks with Macron amid Brexit trade talks deadlock

French president will be exempt from UK quarantine rules for visit hosted by Prince Charles

(PA)

Boris Johnson will host the French president Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street next week following a virtual summit with Brussels to kickstart the deadlocked Brexit trade talks.

The prime minister is expected to meet Mr Macron on Thursday as the French premier travels to London to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle’s wartime appeal to the people of France to resist the German occupation.

Mr Macron will be hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House, before taking part in talks with Mr Johnson at No 10.

Downing Street said Mr Macron would be exempt from the UK’s quarantine rules, as representatives from foreign countries undertaking business in the UK are not required to self isolate for two weeks.

The visit comes as the prime minister was expected to hold a virtual summit with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Monday to attempt to break the impasse in the trade negotiations.

A statement from Clarence House said: “The President of the French Republic will visit London on Thursday 18 June 2020 to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of General de Gaulle’s ‘Appel’ to the French population to resist the German occupation of France during WWII.

“On behalf of Her Majesty’s Government, Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will formally receive President Emmanuel Macron at Clarence House with a Guard of Honour found by Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards accompanied by the Band of the Coldstream Guards.”

It added government guidelines on social distancing would be followed and part of the meeting would be staged in the open air.

It comes as Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove formally declared on Friday that the UK will not request an extension to the transition period, leaving only six months to hammer out a complex trade agreement.

The UK will leave the single market and customs union on 31 December when the transition period finishes, meaning seamless trade between with Europe will end.

If a free trade agreement with Brussels cannot be agreed, then the UK faces a damaging no-deal Brexit scenario – on top of the economic hit from the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Gove also backtracked on plans to introduce full border checks with the EU when the transition period ends, instead saying Britain would phase in changes over six months to allow businesses hit by the virus to adjust.