‘We need to think much bigger’: trade minister calls for greater ambition in UK-EU reset

UK trade minister Chris Bryant samples a British luxury Aston Martin in Paris on a trip to forge greater trade links with France and the EU Photograph: Lisa O'Carroll/The Guardian

It was all smiles and warm handshakes when the two men in charge of renegotiating the UK’s relationship with the EU met in Brussels this week.

Maroš Šefčovič and the UK minister for EU relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds, sharing a stage on the third floor of the vast European parliament building, were at pains to show the cross-Channel relationship was in a good place after years of rancour.