PM May insists future is bright
LONDON: Major issues remain unresolved and demands are growing for another referendum, but as Thursday marks one year to go for the UK to formally leave the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May insisted the future is bright.
It was on March 29, 2017 that the May government set in motion the two-year exit process under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by sending a letter to Brussels about the UK’S decision to leave the EU after the 2016 referendum resulted in a 52%-48% leave vote.
May travelled around the UK on Thursday, speaking to people and emphasising that regardless of whether they voted to leave or remain in the EU, it is now important to make Brexit a success for everyone.
Beginning her day in Scotland, May visited textile workers at a factory in Ayrshire, before travelling to Newcastle to meet a local parent and toddler group. She had lunch with farmers near Belfast before travelling to Barry to host a roundtable with Welsh businesses, and ended the day in west London with tea with a group of Polish citizens.
May said: “I am determined that our future will be a bright one. It’s a future in which we trade freely with friends and partners across Europe and beyond... The UK will thrive as a strong and united country that works for everyone, no matter whether you voted leave or remain.”
Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 referendum, while Wales and England voted to leave. May is keen to unite forces across the UK, but constitutional and political issues remain unresolved.
“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. I am determined that as we leave the EU, and in the years ahead, we will strengthen the bonds that unite us, because ours is the world’s most successful union,” she said.