London bankers 'offered French lessons to lure them to Paris after Brexit'

London bankers are to be offered French lessons in a bid to lure them to Paris after Brexit, according to reports.

In the hope of tempting financial workers from the UK’s capital after the country’s exit from the European Union, Paris will also beef up the number of school places available for international students and provide an English-speaking hotline for advice on the French education system.

The idea is part of 14-point plan approved by French prime minister Edouard Philippe this week and seen by the Telegraph.

Thousands of UK executives from the likes of HSBC and Morgan Stanley are already expected to relocate to the French capital after the Brexit deadline of March 2019.

The proposal says: “Accelerated French lessons will be provided to pupils and families (of those moving to France) in London if they so wish”, adding this is in response to requests from “certain financial establishments for their staff and their children”.

Some 1,000 places will be created by next September in Paris multilingual schools, with three new international schools set to be created.

By 2020, the number of pupils in “international sections” of state secondary schools is expected to double to 20,000.

The French government is also expected to exempt foreign executives from paying into state pension schemes.