EU: the more UK distance from bloc rules, the less market access

The more Britain diverges from EU rules and regulations after Brexit, the less access to the bloc's single market it will have, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday. "The more the UK will diverge from the EU standards, the less the access to the single market they will have," Michel said.

Michel, European Parliament President David Sassoli and the head of the bloc's executive arm, Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, also said the EU would now focus on fighting climate change and advancing digitalization. "We want to have the best possible relationship with the United Kingdom but it will never replicate the benefits of membership," von der Leyen told reporters in a joint statement.