MAY’S VISION FOR BRITAIN
Quitting will let us rediscover our role as a trading power promises PM
THERESA May yesterday rejected the case for keeping Britain tied to the EU single market – pledging instead to ‘rediscover’ our role as a ‘great, global, trading nation’.
The Prime Minister said that membership of the single market ‘would to all intents and purposes mean not leaving the EU at all’, owing to its rules on free movement and accepting the supremacy of the European Court of Justice.
To the fury of Remainers, she said this would not be acceptable to a British public which voted to retake control of its own destiny.
The PM also ruled out staying in the linked customs union on its current terms – saying this would prevent us striking trade deals with the rest of the world. She will look for a deal which allows goods such as car parts to move freely in and out of Britain without bureaucracy and customs checks, but without the onerous rules of the current agreement.
The PM said her overall aim was tariff-free trade with Europe and cross-border trade that is ‘as frictionless as possible’.
She told ambassadors at London’s Lancaster House: ‘We will pursue a bold and ambitious free trade agreement with the European Union. This agreement should allow for the freest possible trade in goods and services between Britain and the EU’s member states. It should give British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets – and let European businesses do the same in Britain.’
She went on: ‘I want us to be a truly global Britain – the best friend and neighbour to our European partners, but a country that reaches beyond the borders of Europe too. A country that goes out into the world to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike.
‘I want Britain to be what we have the potential, talent and ambition to be. A great, global trading nation that is respected around the world and strong, confident and united at home. The result of the referendum was not a decision to turn inward and retreat from the world. Because Britain’s history and culture is profoundly internationalist. June the 23rd was not the moment Britain chose to step back from the world. It was the moment we chose to build a truly global Britain.’
The decision not to remain inside the existing customs union was seen as a victory for Boris Johnson, who has been fighting a Cabinet battle with Chancellor Philip Hammond.
Allies of the Foreign Secretary also pointed to Mrs May’s declaration that Britain will no longer ‘contribute huge sums to the EU budget’.
Mrs May said: ‘There may be some specific European programmes in which we might want to participate. If so, and this will be for us to decide, it is reasonable that we should make an appropriate contribution. But the principle is clear: the days of Britain making vast contributions to the European Union every year will end.’
The issue is of huge importance to Mr Johnson and other Cabinet ministers who campaigned to leave on the basis of no longer sending £10billion net every year to Brussels. On immigration, the PM reiterated that retaking control of our borders will be a red-line in talks with Brussels but stopped short of spelling out the full details.
She is expected to opt for a visa system which reduces the number of low-skilled workers pouring in from the EU, while still giving ready access to the UK to students, tourists and skilled workers. Mrs May said: ‘We will always want immigration... but the message from the public before and during the referendum campaign was clear: Brexit must mean control of the number of people who come to Britain from Europe. And that is what we will deliver.
To ease the nerves of business, Mrs May said she was willing to consider a period of transition when the twoyear Brexit talks are complete – allowing new policies on the likes of immigration and trade to be phased in gradually. No time limit was put on how long this would last but officials
‘Reaching beyond the borders of Europe’
insisted the process would not be allowed to drag on for years. Mrs May said: ‘I do not mean that we will seek some form of unlimited transitional status, in which we find ourselves stuck forever in some kind of permanent political purgatory. That would not be good for Britain, but nor do I believe it would be good for the EU.’
On security, Mrs May stressed Britain’s ‘unique intelligence capabilities’ in what was seen as an implied urge to the EU to remain close to the UK. However, she stopped short of saying defence and security co-operation would be on the negotiating table.
Her hour-long speech also included a warning to MPs to remain ‘disciplined’ – not leaking stories to the media or demanding too many details on the negotiations when they begin.
She said: ‘It is not my job to fill column inches with daily updates, but to get the right deal for Britain. And that is what I intend to do.’