Not a denial as much as a rebuttal: the UK currently enjoys "frictionless" trade, financial services and plenty of other things with the rest of the EU28, as a member of said EU.

Once out of the EU, there is no reason for the remaining 27 to grant the UK the same facilities. As W.Schaüble put it bluntly: "In is in, out is out".

The few non-EU countries who have free trade agreements with the EU (Norway, Switzerland) had to take all the strings attached, starting with freedom of movement - the very thing which is anathema for many Brexiters.