Hard Brexit will make EU negotiations much harder for Theresa May, warns Francois Hollande

'I say very firmly; if Madame Theresa May wants a hard Brexit, then talks will be hard too'

The Prime Minister arrives at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday (Reuters)

French President Francois Hollande has warned Theresa May that if she wants a hard Brexit, negotiations over leaving the bloc will not be easy for her.

“I say very firmly; if Madame Theresa May wants a hard Brexit, then talks will be hard too,” said Mr Hollande as he arrived for the EU leaders’ summit on Thursday. The summit is the Prime Minster's first since the June referendum.

Earlier this month, Ms May said she aimed to trigger Article 50, starting the two year countdown to Britain's exit from the bloc, in March.

Her speech at a conference of her Conservatives in Birmingham eariler this month suggested she is leaning towards a hard Brexit, in which Britain would place limits on immigration and lose access to Europe's lucrative single market. Over recent weeks however, Ms May and her ministers have sent out different signals, deepening the sense of confusion about her intentions.

Arriving for the summit in Brussels, she insisted Britain would play a full part in the EU until it left.

“This is my first European Council and I'm here with a very clear message: the UK is leaving the EU but we will continue to play a full role until we leave and we'll be a strong and dependable partner after we have left,” Ms May said.

The Prime Minister also said she would like to hold preparatory talks with EU governments before invoking Article 50, but the EU has stuck firmly to its line that there will be no early negotiations before Article 50 is invoked.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz said on Thursday that the EU would be “running into a trap” if it began substantive talks with Britain before London had formally notified its partners in writing that it intends to leave.

Ms May was excluded from last month's summit of EU leaders in Bratislava, but EU President Donald Tusk quashed speculation the two-day meeting in Brussels would be tumultuous.

“Some media described her first meeting in the European Council as entering the lion's den. It's not true. It's more like a nest of doves,” he told reporters. “She'll be absolutely safe with us. And I hope that she will also realise that the European Union is simply the best company in the world.”

Additional reporting by agencies