A Lib Dem MP read out some of an EU treaty in French during a Brexit debate in the Commons today. Rachel Gilmour hit out at the UK's departure from the bloc as MPs discussed the break up ahead of next week's joint summit.

The MP for Tiverton and Minehead finished her speech by reading in French some of the opening text of the Maastricht Treaty, which created the modern EU. Ms Gilmour said: "I'm going to end with the words of the preamble to the EU."

She added afterwards: "I will give you a translation if you need one."

Earlier in her speech, Ms Gilmour, whose party backs closer ties with Brussels, said: "Despite the turbulence of Brexit the EU remains our largest trading partners.

"To undermine this reality seems to my mind to be a curious act of economic self-harm.

"Grand promises of scaling back of Brussels' bureaucracy were made but precisely the opposite has occurred.

"More red tape, delays and headaches for our businesses and traders."

Elsewhere during the debate, the Labour Government insisted it will not reintroduce freedom of movement, the customs union or single market as part of its Brexit "reset".

Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds was responding to Tory calls not to "row back on Brexit" ahead of the joint summit in London next week.