Barnier says will lead post-Brexit UK-EU talks

European Union negotiator Michel Barnier told AFP on Thursday that he had been asked to lead the bloc's talks with London on their future post-Brexit relationship.

Barnier said the incoming head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, had asked him to remain in post for a year once Brexit has been ratified "and I will therefore be able to begin talks on future relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union."

Earlier, the leaders of EU member states and the current head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker had hailed Barnier's work in the three-year negotiating slog that led to the latest Brexit deal.

British MPs may yet throw out the withdrawal agreement on Saturday, as they threw out the previous one that Barnier negotiated last year, but if it goes into effect and Britain leaves the European Union on October 31 then talks on a future trade pact can begin.