School children in France are being taught that the EU only has 27 member states, in an indication that the country has already begun to purge the UK from the bloc.

Britain has been removed from maps of the union in a popular educational guide, the Aedis “petit guide”, which shows all of the other 27 member states shaded in a different colour with each of their national flags — while Britain is left blank with no flag.

The Aedis “petit guide” to the EU shows all of the other 27 member states shaded in a different colour with each of their national flags, all surrounding a larger EU flag.

The guide, which is aimed at schoolchildren, was first published in January 2007 but was “updated” in May 2017, apparently to reflect Britain’s departure, according to the publisher’s website.

It states: “The European Union brings together 27 countries of Europe in economic and political terms, in order to avoid wars and to defend democracy, human rights, prosperity and peace more effectively.”

The guide also claims that “numerous other countries in Europe want to join” and observes that “institutions and treaties must be adapted in view of this enlargement."

It continues: “Every day, the European Union allows all its nationals to study, travel, live and work in the country of their choice amongst the member states, all this without the need for passports or borders."

Valérie Pécresse, chairwoman of the Paris regional council, meanwhile told The Times: “Boris Johnson and David Cameron said to anyone prepared to listen they were rolling out the red carpet for the French.

“Now we are rolling out the tricolour carpet. Our first aim is to get back the French people who moved to London.”

French President Emmanuel Macron's government is said to be keen to convince Wall Street banks to dump London for Paris, hoping to override concerns about its rigid labor laws and high taxes with plans to push through reforms to make doing business easier.

Source:independent.co.uk