Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte says Britain will pay a ‘huge price’ for its decision to make controlling immigration a top priority during the Brexit talks.

Speaking during a panel session at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Rutte said the speech by British prime minister Theresa May showed she had become realistic but that her decision would have a huge impact on the country’s economic growth rate.

‘If they want to have full control over the flow of migration, they cannot remain in the European market,’ he told the NRC in an interview later.  ‘It would be in the Netherlands interest if the EU is united on this against the British. And up to now, I note that all my European colleagues back this position.’

He admitted that the Netherlands, has one of Britain’s main trading partners, has a lot to lose with a hard Brexit. While the different interests of the EU members could make the negotiations more complex, Rutte said he thought EU member states would ‘speak with one voice’.

Rutte said he had been talking to many ‘companies and banks’ about the impact of Brexit. ‘They are now in England but they want to remain active in Europe,’ he said.

Rutte also said that economic reforms in southern Europe remain one of the greatest challenges to the EU. ‘France and Italy have to reform. If they don’t it will have a destructive impact on European integration,’ he said.

Spain, he said, was doing great things. ‘But the other countries are lagging behind so that we cannot make the promise of the EU and euro come true.’

Dijsselbloem

Finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who is also in Davos, was critical of May’s isolationist approach, the NRC said.

‘Let us talk again in 20 years, when England will be back where it was in the 1970s,’ the paper quoted him as saying. ‘It will be antiquated, run down. To me, that is not the right model for the future of England.’

Rutte and Schultz take gloves off in front of Davos Elite