The UK and the EU will now preside over an extremely complicated decoupling process for the next 11 months. (Photo: AP)

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday rejected European Union insistence on full alignment with Brussels as the "price of free trade", as he set out Britain's position for post-Brexit talks. 

"I see no need to bind ourselves to an agreement with the EU. We will restore full sovereign controls over our borders, immigration, competition, subsidy rules, procurement, data protection," he said.