World: British PM on national unity tour with Brexit a year away
May jets around UK determined to ‘leave the EU’
Prime Minister Theresa May jetted off on a frantic national tour on Thursday as Britain starts the oneyear countdown to Brexit, seeking UK unity as its EU departure looms.
May was visiting Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales during her day-long tour, aiming to shore up support for the government’s Brexit strategy, 12 months before Britain leaves the EU on March 29 next year.
Brexit remains a fractious topic in Britain, with former prime minister Tony Blair leading a push for second referendum as an escape door.
“Today, one year until the UK leaves the EU and begins to chart a new course in the world, I am visiting all four nations of the union to hear from people across our country what Brexit means to them,” May said.
After visiting a textile factory in Ayrshire, southwest Scotland, May traveled to Newcastle in northeast England to meet a parent and toddler group.
Her next stop was Northern Ireland where she had lunch with farmers near Belfast before meeting Welsh business owners in Barry, then returned to London in time for tea with a Polish group.
“I am determined that as we leave the EU, and in the years ahead, we will strengthen the bonds that unite us,”May said.
“I have an absolute responsibility to protect the integrity of the UK as a whole. Having regained control of our laws, our borders and our money, and seized the opportunities provided by Brexit, the UK will thrive as a strong and united country.”
In a seismic referendum on June 23, 2016, 52 percent of voters in the UK opted for Britain to leave the EU.
Most voters in England and Wales backed Brexit, while majorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland wanted the UK to stay in the EU.
There have been tensions between London and the devolved governments in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast over May’s handling of the Brexit negotiations so far.
Scotland and Wales last week backed bills to ensure that powers brought back from Brussels go to their capitals.
But May insisted that the devolved administrations would see their decision-making powers increase as a result of Brexit.