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Dear Britain, don't make the same mistake as Norway did

European leaders have rounded on Donald Trump as Angela Merkel warned the US and UK that cutting corporation tax would represent a race to the bottom.

French president Francois Hollande accused Mr Trump of a lack of "respect" for the European Union after the US president dismissed the EU as a "vehicle for Germany".

In a series of stark warnings, Mr Hollande said that there would be no future for European relations with the US "if the future isn't defined in common".

He and other European leaders also rejected a suggestion by Mrs May that she could act as a "bridge" with Mr Trump's administration, while a planned bilateral between the Prime Minister and Mrs Merkel was cancelled.

German chancellor Mrs Merkel used an EU summit in Malta to attack Britain and the US over proposed cuts to corporation tax.

Mrs May has said that she is prepared to slash taxes and undercut the EU if it blocks a Brexit deal, while Mr Trump has pledged to cut corporation tax to as little as 15 per cent.

Mrs Merkel said: "We have a tax system in Germany that has weathered challenges well. I see no reason for entering a race for who has the lowest corporation tax."

Mr Hollande warned Mr Trump to stay out of European affairs, saying the EU will "defend its interests" on the global stage.

The French president also said it was "unacceptable" for Mr Trump to put "pressure" on Europe.

He said: "There are many countries which need to think about the fact that their future is first and foremost within the EU, rather than imagining some bilateral relationship with the US."

Asked about Mrs May's suggestion that Britain could act as a bridge between the EU and the US, Mr Hollande said: "Of course it is not about asking one particular country, be it the UK or any other, to represent Europe in its relationship with the United States. For European relations with the US, it is Europe which does that."

Mrs May was offered some support by other EU leaders, including Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, who said the UK would be "very helpful" in forging ties with the US.