Brexit battle for Theresa May as EU officials threaten to negotiate solely in FRENCH

Theresa May has faced her first Brexit row with Brussels as EU officials threatened to negotiate solely in French.

The Prime Minister snorted when told at a press conference that the EU could refuse to conduct the looming Brexit negotiations in English.

“We will conduct the negotiations in a way that is going to make sure we get the right deal for the UK,” Mrs May shot back.

EU sources had earlier made clear that top EU negotiator Michel Barnier planned to conduct the talks with his British counterparts in his native French language, hoping to put Britain at a disadvantage.

“Barnier wants French to be the working language in Brexit negotiations with Britain," a senior official said.

Publicly Mr Barnier insists no final decision has been taken but admitted he currently “works as often in English as in French”.

“Linguistic regime to be set at start; to be agreed between negotiators," he said on Twitter.

An EU spokesman insisted the two sides will eventually come to a "common agreement".

The row over linguistics erupted at the end of a bad-tempered EU summit where Brexit was barely discussed beyond a short five-minute speech by Mrs May after midnight.

Instead EU chiefs used TV interviews to warn that negotiations would be “hard” and that Britain would be made to suffer.

Downing Street was unimpressed with the soundings-off and at her post-summit press conference Mrs May made clear she was in no mood for game-playing.

“I want a mature, co-operative relationship with our European partners,” she warned them.

“I'm sure there will be some difficult moments - it will require some give and take.”

Mrs May insisted Britain will continue to play a central role in EU affairs until Brexit actually happens and denied she was snubbed by other leaders at the summit.

“I haven't been backwards in coming forwards on issues,” she said.

And she insisted she will open trade talks with other nations despite Britain still being a member of the EU.

Later she held her first face-to-face talks with EU Commission boss Jean-Claude Juncker and told him Britain plans to cut immigration after Brexit but maintain free trade.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "She explained that we would need to see controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe as well as a positive outcome for those who wish to trade in goods and services."

Back in Britain the Leave-supporting Labour MP Gisela Stuart urged Brussels to be "sensible" in the Brexit negotiations.

"It will be better if we can all be sensible about the process because there is a lot at stake for both the EU and the UK," she said.

"EU bureaucrats will be making a mistake if they think pressure and threats will help them.

"It’s only likely to demonstrate precisely why we were right to vote to leave - and could make future co-operation harder."

In a separate speech in London the pro-EU Labour MP Chuka Umunna argued Mrs May could cut immigration while also staying in the EU's lucrative single market.

“One way of adopting ‘fair movement’ would be to allow travel as we have at present for short stays and holidays only but, in so far as settling and working are concerned, restrict free movement to the movement of labour and offers of employment," he said.