The German Ambassador to the UK, Peter Wittig, has said he fears any post Brexit trade deal will fall short of what Germany would have liked.

Peter Wittig told students Cardiff, Peter Wittig he is concerned about the UK’s separation from the EU.

“The price of this quick guillotine separation of the UK from Europe is that we have not been able get a deep and comprehensive deal that secures trade. 

“I think it is likely that in March, all the issues will be laid parallel on the table to look at how all the leaders in Europe will be able to focus on what is deliverable. 

“This will be a more shallow agreement than we would have liked,” he said.

Speaking at Cardiff University, Mr Wittig spoke about the importance of teh UK’s relationship with Germany.

“The UK is our 5th biggest trading partner and it is a huge relationship, particularly in pharmaceutical products.  The biggest focus for us will be around standards and manufacturing regulations.”

He added: “Germany’s preference would have been to allow for negotiations to be in-depth to enable the UK and Europe to remain aligned, keeping integrated supply chains and unified standards. 

“This would have also allowed us to keeping sharing common goals in areas like sustainability, without these in place there will be barriers to trade. 

“Currently We cannot anticipate the price on the choice the UK has made in leaving without allowing these more in depth negotiations.”

While Germany has committed to supporting the UK and advocating that other EU countries keep together to make this process as easy as possible, Mr Wittig said the process and the tight deadline for a deal could mean additional trade costs for the UK.