The European Union will have the upper hand in trade talks with the UK, Ireland’s prime minister has said.

Leo Varadkar said the bloc would have the “stronger team” because of its sheer size and influence globally.

He also warned that the EU would not accept a “piecemeal” trade deal in which the UK had rights without obligations.

“The European Union is a union of 27 member states. The UK is only one country. And we have a population and a market of 450 million people,” the taoiseach told the BBC.

“The UK, it’s about 60 million. So if these were two teams up against each other playing football, who do you think has the stronger team?”

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

Mr Varadkar is meeting with the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Dublin in Monday. It comes amid a general election campaign in Ireland.

While the taoiseach’s approach to the Brexit negotiations was widely supported in Ireland, his party has seen its popularity fall since the issue came out of the spotlight.

Britain’s government says it wants a strong free trade agreement that would guarantee it zero tariffs and quotas with the EU market.

But Boris Johnson has set a strict time limit of the end of the year for the signing of a deal, and also laid down a number of red lines that could prove difficult.

Mr Johnson’s government has been reticent to sign up to a full slate of “level playing field” provisions that would strongly tie the UK to EU rules in the future.

But Brussels and member states say that a level playing field on areas like the environment, labour rights, and manufacturing standards is necessary to guarantee that UK producers can’t undercut European businesses when they’re given access to markets.

The UK is worried that being too closely tied to EU rules will make it harder to negotiate a deal with the US, which demands its own regulations are followed. Some cabinet ministers also want to deregulate for its own sake.

The issue is likely to be a dividing line in the upcoming talks, which will kick off over the next month.