British Eurosceptics agree more with Michel Barnier when it comes to Brexit than they do with Theresa May and her government, Jacob Rees-Mogg said after meeting the EU’s chief negotiator in Brussels for the first time.

Mr Rees-Mogg, the influential leader of a group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, attacked Mrs May’s Chequers plan on Monday, which was earlier strongly criticised by Boris Johnson, her former foreign secretary. He was in the Belgian capital as part of the House of Commons Brexit Committee.

“Mr Barnier is, as you would expect, extraordinarily charming,” said Mr Rees-Mogg after meeting with Mr Barnier, who had warned that Chequers could destroy the European project in a German newspaper article on Sunday.

“We found ourselves in considerable agreement that Chequers is absolute rubbish and we should chuck it and have a Canada style trade agreement instead,” he said.

“Eurosceptics and Monsieur Barnier are in greater agreement than Eurosceptics and the government or Monsieur Barnier and the government. It is very encouraging,” he added.

EU sources confirmed that Mr Barnier had repeated the bloc’s red lines and objections to parts of Mrs May’s Chequers plan and had set out alternative models for the future UK-EU relationship, including a Canada style trade deal.