France and Ireland went on the offensive over the U.K.’s obligations in any post-Brexit trade deal, escalating a war of words that risks overshadowing the start of negotiations with the European Union next week. Arriving at a meeting of national governments in Brussels to sign off the EU’s opening goals for the talks, representatives from Paris and Dublin warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson that the bloc won’t back down on some of its most fundamental demands -- including that Britain continue to play by the EU’s rules, something Downing Street has ruled out. The mandate “is to protect the interest of Europeans,” ... (full story)