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Shearman and Sterling partner, Barney Reynolds, claimed the European Union should be confident in the foundations of its institution. During an interview with Express.co.uk, the expert from the top legal firm claimed the EU should ditch the idea it needs to give Britain a bad deal in the Brexit trade talks. He argued member state leaders will either believe that there are benefits to being in the EU or believe there are not.

He added the EU should not be concerned about whether Britain will succeed out of the EU but rather on the worth of the bloc as a whole.

Mr Reynolds said: “The EU needs to have confidence in itself and its own infrastructure and political set up.

“Either the EU is worth of being part of for the member states or it isn’t.

“If it is, the benefit should be from being within the political infrastructure and the Governments of the EU itself.

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“If that isn’t a benefit and one must cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face, in order to show to one’s own population some differential to being inside the structure and outside in some other context, then that is an extraordinary statement.

“It is not just a sign of weakness it is an extraordinary admission about the fact that the EU isn’t beneficial to anyone other than in relation to trade deals.”

Mr Reynolds also commented on the difficulties of the Brexit trade talks and how they should proceed

He said: “The UK is not trying to get one over on anyone.

“The UK is trying to come up with a friendly, ongoing relationship with the EU based on the sort of the thing they have already agreed with Canada.”

Mr Reynolds also reflected on how the UK should proceed in the Brexit trade talks, despite the current standstill.

He said: “Another framing point from the EU which is absurd is the idea that somehow with a closer neighbour you need a worse deal.

“Some of their cynical stuff we need to just look past and not worry about.

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“We need to keep pushing for what we think is in the UK’s interest and what is in the EU’s interest and explain that to everyone.

“We should be confident in the fact that most people are rational.”

EU Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier this week announced it currently looked unlikely that a trade deal would be agreed by the end of the year with the UK.

The UK’s Brexit negotiator David Frost argued a deal could be met if the EU understood the principles the UK is not willing to give up under any circumstances.

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