Norwegian MPs have told the EU that Britain must not be allowed a better Brexit deal than the partnership it has with the bloc, a close ally of Angel Merkel has claimed.

Elmar Brok, a senior German MEP, said Norwegian MPs have warned him that Brussels must not "give the same treatment or better than we have" to the UK if it does not meet the same obligations, such as following EU rules.

"At a meeting with the delegation from the Norwegian parliament, they reminded me that we should not give Britain the same advantages as those given to member states of the EU," Mr Brok told the Telegraph.

"Norway pays for the cohesion policies of the European Union, and Switzerland does too. They said this to us - and the Norwegian prime minister said this a few weeks ago - they warned us and said, do not give the same privileges, same treatment, or even better than we have, because we fulfil the obligations. So there's a borderline we have to accept."