Alexandre Holroyd represents French people living in the U.K. | Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images Brexit no-deal talk hasn’t rattled France Alexandre Holroyd says France is more worried that the divided political situation in the UK could ‘undermine’ a final Brexit deal.

The French government is sanguine about the prospect of a no-deal Brexit because the idea is "so radical that it is difficult to imagine," according to the secretary of the French parliament's Brexit mission, although he warned that some aspects of the U.K.'s position are still "unexplainable."

Alexandre Holroyd, an MP with Emmanuel Macron's La République En Marche party who represents French people living in the U.K., told POLITICO that it is not correct to say that France has adopted a particularly hard line on Brexit. He said Macron has adopted a "position of openness," as evidenced by the meeting Friday with Prime Minister Theresa May at the French president's Fort de Brégançon retreat on the Mediterranean coast.

Politicians on either side of the Channel have talked up the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit since then, with U.K. Trade Secretary Liam Fox putting the odds at 60-40 in an interview with the Sunday Times. German MEP Manfred Weber, the head of the center-right European People’s Party group in the European Parliament, told the German media group RND: “Sadly, a hard Brexit is getting more likely from day to day. That is not in our interest.”

But Holroyd, who met U.K. Cabinet Office Minister and May's effective deputy David Lidington as part of the diplomatic groundwork ahead of the Fort de Brégançon summit, said that some form of Brexit agreement is "inevitable" — even if there is some confusion on the French side about what U.K. politicians mean by a no deal.

“There has been progress in the white paper, but some points are still unexplainable from an EU standpoint" — Alexandre Holroyd, French MP

“Frankly I don’t think that there’s a real concern in France about a no-deal. The idea of a no-deal seems so radical that it is difficult to imagine it," said the MP who sits on the parliament's finance and EU affairs committees.

Part of the reason France appears relaxed about the prospects of no deal may be that the economic costs for France of the U.K. falling back on WTO trading terms are not predicted to be huge. While the EU as a whole would suffer a 1.5 percent hit to GDP according to a report published by the IMF last month, the cost to France would be just 0.2 percent. Britain on the other hand can expect a GDP impact of 4 percent, the analysis predicted.

Whether Paris believes U.K. ministerial warnings about no deal or not, winning over the French will be key, argues former Foreign Secretary William Hague. Writing in the Telegraph, he said the intense diplomatic setup to May's informal summit with Macron — which included a meeting between Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and his opposite number Jean-Yves Le Drian — shows that London believes it must win over the French president. "France is the biggest national obstacle to a Brexit deal and the key country to unlock a change of attitude in the European Commission," said Hague.

He urged Macron to look beyond short-term thinking and consider France’s long-term interests: “In the world of a rising China and a less reliable America, Britain and France will need each other more … if the EU is incapable of forging a special relationship with its closest, largest democratic neighbour, even when it is offered, its chances of surviving the 21st century will be diminished.”

The spin from Downing Street is that May's Brexit plan is now getting Britain a hearing, following months during which there was little movement in the talks. May's official spokesperson said that following the publication of the white paper, the government is now in a “serious conversation across a broad range of issues with the EU.”

“They recognize the white paper represents a serious move by the U.K. and now they need to respond,” the spokesperson said.

Holroyd said that while he does not speak for the French government, the U.K. white paper was a welcome step forward, although one that "should have come earlier."

“We should congratulate the Brits that they have finally issued a position,” he said. “There has been progress in the white paper, but some points are still unexplainable from an EU standpoint." There’s lack of clarity, he said, on the divisions between services and goods and the Irish border question, as well as the scope of European Court of Justice arbitration.

The French MP, who lives in London and describes himself as being "close to the British political world," said the biggest Brexit worry for France is the divided political situation in the U.K. "The most concerning issue is that we might end up in a difficult situation because of the very complex political balance in the U.K. It is difficult to imagine a clear majority who could win there. Internal political calculations could undermine the final [Brexit] deal,” he said.

But he said that it is a media caricature to portray France as taking a particularly hard line on Brexit. “I’m not sure that it is entirely true. A lot of countries agree with the French position," he said, "With France, there is still a history of amicable rivalry and the British press likes to put that rivalry to good use.”

The Netherlands, for example, is portrayed as being a traditional ally of the U.K. and so pushing a softer position, he said. "[But] the Dutch have defended the EU law without any compromise."

Asked about Fox’s comments by journalists at a briefing on Monday, May’s official spokesman said the government believes a deal is the most likely outcome from the Brexit talks but added, "The trade secretary is right to say there is a risk of the negotiations not succeeding and the government has to prepare for all eventualities.”

In Brussels, Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Mina Andreeva denied that the EU is being intransigent. “The chief negotiator is engaging constructively — as he has always been, by the way — based on the negotiation position agreed by the 27 member states and that is reflected in the European Council guidelines,” she said, adding, “we are working 24/7, day and night, for a deal.”

Official Brexit negotiations in Brussels resume on August 16 and 17.