The EU has warned Boris Johnson he will fail if he tries to use the leverage of a US trade deal to strike better terms with Brussels, as it revealed plans for “10 negotiating tables” for the huge task ahead. 

In a hard-hitting interview, chief negotiator Michel Barnier also made clear that border checks on goods will “become the norm” after Brexit – even if the UK achieves the no-tariff, no-quota agreement it seeks. 

Mr Barnier highlighted that a no-deal Brexit remained a “risk” at the end of 2020, as EU determination to protect the single market clashes with the UK’s desire to make its own rules. 

And he suggested the UK could never secure the same “respect” from the United States and China as it had as a member of the EU with “500 million consumers and 22 million businesses”. 

Mr Johnson intends to pursue parallel trade talks with the EU and the US after Brexit Day on Friday, with some hardline Tories convinced they can be played off against each other. 

But Mr Barnier, asked by the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche if he feared “a bidding war”, replied: “There will be no overbidding on our side.” 

The negotiator appeared to cast doubt on the chances of a rapid US-UK deal, saying: “We remember what has become of the proposed transatlantic free trade agreement with the United States.”  It was abandoned after protests. 

And he vowed: “When we say that any product entering our country must meet our standards, for example the ban on chlorinated chicken, we are enforcing this law. 

“The British are free to experience whatever they want with the United States.  But, in any event, the conditions for entry into the European market will remain strictly applied, once again to protect our consumers and our businesses.” 

Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Show all 8 1 /8 Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Conservative party leader Boris Johnson drives a JCB through a fake wall POOL/AFP via Getty Images Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to JCB cab manufacturing centre in Uttoxeter, while on the General Election campaign trail.  PA Photo.  Picture date: Tuesday December 10, 2019.  See PA story POLITICS Election.  Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Stefan Rousseau PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative party leader Boris Johnson drives a Union flag-themed JCB, with the words "Get Brexit Done" inside the digger bucket, through a fake wall emblazoned with the word "GRIDLOCK", during a general election campaign event at JCB construction company in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, on December 10, 2019. -  Britain will go to the polls on December 12, 2019 to vote in a pre-Christmas general election. ( Photo by Ben STANSALL / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) BEN STANSALL AFP via Getty Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Prime Minister Boris Johnson sits in a cab of a JCB during a visit to its cab manufacturing centre in Uttoxeter, while on the General Election campaign trail.  PA Photo.  Picture date: Tuesday December 10, 2019.  See PA story POLITICS Election.  Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Stefan Rousseau PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative leader Boris Johnson drives a Union flag-themed JCB, with the words "Get Brexit Done" inside the digger bucket, through a fake wall emblazoned with the word "GRIDLOCK", during a general election campaign event at JCB construction company in Uttoxeter, Britain, December 10, 2019.  Ben Stansall/AFP/Pool via REUTERS POOL REUTERS Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes A sign made for a visit by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to the JCB cab manufacturing centre in Uttoxeter, while on the General Election campaign trail.  PA Photo.  Picture date: Tuesday December 10, 2019.  See PA story POLITICS Election.  Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire Stefan Rousseau PA Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative party leader Boris Johnson drives a Union flag-themed JCB, with the words "Get Brexit Done" inside the digger bucket, through a fake wall emblazoned with the word "GRIDLOCK", during a general election campaign event at JCB construction company in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, on December 10, 2019. -  Britain will go to the polls on December 12, 2019 to vote in a pre-Christmas general election. ( Photo by Ben STANSALL / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) BEN STANSALL AFP via Getty Bizarre: Boris Johnson drives 'Brexit' digger through boxes Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative party leader Boris Johnson reacts as he sits in the cab of a drives a Union flag-themed JCB, after driving through a fake wall emblazoned with the word "GRIDLOCK", during a general election campaign event at JCB construction company in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, on December 10, 2019. -  Britain will go to the polls on December 12, 2019 to vote in a pre-Christmas general election. ( Photo by Ben STANSALL / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) BEN STANSALL AFP via Getty

During the interview, Mr Barnier also:

* Made clear the power relationship in the talks to come – pointing out that “9 per cent of EU trade is with the United Kingdom and 47 per cent of British exports of goods go to the European Union”. 

* Said the deal, once it covered areas such as transport or energy, would require ratification by all 27 member states which “will require more time”. 

* Revealed priorities would include rescuing cooperation in medical research against cancer, the Erasmus scheme for students and the Galileo satellite programme – after the UK left the existing bodies. 

* Insisted the EU would be “uncompromising” in protecting against a repeat of the financial crash – noting that “some City of London actors have supported Brexit”. 

* Revealed fears for EU citizens in the UK after Brexit.  Those already settled would secure their rights, but “afterwards, it will be another story with a new British immigration policy”. 

Mr Barnier praised the prime minister as “intelligent, very cordial, very direct, but also very pragmatic”, but added: “Beyond the competence and professionalism of our partners, we will not be impressed.”