Theresa May is attempting to woo the French government with a pledge that Britain will not seek to "cherry-pick" parts of EU membership after Brexit, reports Sky News.
The Prime Minister hosted French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve for talks at Downing Street, and ahead of those discussions she promised to respect the EU's desire to keep freedom of movement.
Mrs May said she was "delighted" to welcome Mr Cazeneuve and pointed out that they "worked so well together" when she was home secretary and he was France's interior minister.
She continued: "It's an interesting time, obviously for the UK, as we prepare to trigger Article 50 for leaving the European Union. But there are many issues on which the UK and France have been working very well and our bilateral relationship is very strong and I look forward to being able to develop that across a number of areas, including of course, our defence and security."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in December regarding the UK's Brexit negotiations: "We will not allow any cherry-picking.
"The four basic freedoms must be safeguarded - freedom of movement for people, goods, services and financial market products. Only then can there be access to the single market."
In an article for the French newspaper Le Figaro ahead of her meeting with her French counterpart, Mrs May struck a conciliatory tone on the Brexit negotiations and responded to the "cherry picking" charge.
"As we leave the EU, we will seek the greatest possible access to the European single market through a new, comprehensive, bold, ambitious free trade agreement," she wrote.
"This cannot, however, mean retaining membership of the single market.
"President Hollande and other European leaders have been very clear that this would mean accepting the 'four freedoms' of goods, capital, services and people and I respect their position.
"Britain understands that EU leaders want to continue with the process of integration."
And she continued: "We do not, to borrow the phrase, seek to cherry-pick which bits of membership we desire."
Mrs May also highlighted French interest in a good Brexit deal, pointing out that the UK is France's fifth-largest export market with bilateral trade worth more than 50 billion euros last year.