May hails new optimism in Brexit talks after deal
LONDON: Prime Minister Theresa Mayhailed‘anewsenseofoptimism’ in Brexit talks, telling parliament on Monday an agreement to move negotiations on to future trade ties is progress and will reassure those concerned Britain may leave with no deal.
May, weakened after losing her Conservatives’ majority at a June election, rescued an agreement last week to move the talks to unravel more than 40 years of union on to a second phase after easing the concerns of her Northern Irish allies over the future role of the border with EU member Ireland.
But the discussion of Britain’s trade relationship with the EU after Brexit contains many pitfalls and could widen differences among her top team of ministers, or cabinet, over how Britain should look after it leaves the bloc.
In a statement to parliament, May took to task those who doubted that she could move the talks beyond the initial stage of agreeing terms on how much Britain should pay, citizens’ rights and the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.
“This is good news for people who voted leave who were worried we were so bogged down in the tortuous negotiations it was never going to happen,” she told parliament.
“It is good news for people who voted remain who were worried were going to crash out without a deal.”
May will head to Brussels on Thursday for a summit meeting at which she expects the leaders of the other 27 EU states to approve an assessment by negotiators that the sides have made ‘sufficient progress’ to move on to phase two.
But she warned that the government will only pay a financial settlement if Britain and the EU secure a future trade deal.
The deal to launch further talks looked in jeopardy a week ago when May was forced to abandon a choreographed meeting in Brussels intended to seal the deal after her allies in Northern Ireland expressed fears she was proposing a special status for the region - out of sync with the rest of the United Kingdom. — Reuters