France seeks to stifle exports of British-made cars with Chinese parts

British government wants to delay trade tariffs on electric vehicles shipped between UK and EU .

But France will block request to extend free trade deal on exporting electric cars to Europe .

EU does not want Britain to be a backdoor for China to flood the bloc with cheap electric cars.

Nissan and BMW are investing heavily in electric car manufacturing in Britain but are dependent on battery parts from China .

Production of batteries in the UK and EU is being undercut by China .

European and British carmakers have warned failure to delay the introduction of tariffs would only benefit Beijing further.

Manufacturers are bullish that a deal can be reached, with BMW and BMW hoping for a compromise.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said the rules of origin for batteries pose a significant challenge to manufacturers on both sides of the Channel .