Macron warns Britain against ‘unfair’ competition with EU after Brexit

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday warned Britain against “unfair” competition with the EU after Brexit. The statement came following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resounding election win and amid fears London will seek to lower taxes and regulations after Brexit, AFP said.

“My hope is that the United Kingdom remains an ally, a friend and an extremely close partner. The condition is to define the rules of a fair relationship,” Macron said after an EU summit in Brussels. “We do not want Britain to be an unfair competitor.”

Macron also warned Britain that the more it chose to deregulate its economy after Brexit, the more it will lose access to the EU’s market, Reuters reports.

“I don’t think that you can have a strong relationship with Europe’s single market with substantial regulatory differences on climate, environmental, economic or social regulations. That’s not true,” Macron said.