The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
‘Your legacies depend on deal’, May to tell leaders
PM looks to break deadlock in negotiations with key speech in Italy
Theresa May will tell European counterparts their political legacies depend on agreeing a good Brexit deal with the UK as she seeks to break the deadlock in negotiations over the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
The Prime Minister will set out her plans for a transitional period from the formal date of Brexit in March 2019, expected to last two years, before moving to a permanent trade deal.
Mrs May is reported to be considering an offer of paying around 20 billion euro (£17.6 billion) over the transition period in order to secure favourable trade access, which would also help address Brussels’ concerns about the potential hole in its current budget caused by the UK’s exit.
In the Italian city of Florence, Mrs May will remind European leaders they have a “profound sense of responsibility” to agree good terms.
Her direct pitch to the continent’s leaders will be seen as a further attempt to try to bypass the formal talks led by Brussels’ Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier, which have stalled amid concerns of a lack of progress on issues including the financial settlement, citizens’ rights and the Northern Ireland border.
Mrs May will emphasise the historic nature of the negotiations as she calls for an “imaginative and creative” approach to securing a deal, in what may be seen as a fresh British complaint about the European Commission’s perceived rigid approach to talks.
But Mrs May will also stress that the UK has “considerable” fundamental economic strengths and an “indomitable spirit”.
The Prime Minister will tell leaders that if a deal can be reached “then when this chapter of our European history is written, it will be remembered not for the differences we faced, but for the vision we showed” and “not for a relationship that ended but a new partnership that began”.
She will acknowledge that Brexit is “inevitably a difficult process” but it is in “all of our interests for our negotiations to succeed”.
“I believe we share a profound sense of responsibility to make this change work smoothly and sensibly, not just for people today but for the next generation who will inherit the world we leave them,” she will say.
The Prime Minister’s speech will set out her vision for a “bold” economic and security partnership with a “timelimited” implementation period to avoid a cliff-edge change for businesses adjusting to the new arrangements.
But she is thought to have rejected a Swiss-style “European Economic Area minus” deal, which could have involved ongoing payments to Brussels and potentially accepting the free movement of people.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, whose intervention on Brexit last week led to speculation he might be about to resign, was opposed to any continued payments for single market access after the transitional period expires.
After a marathon two-and-half hour session of the Cabinet yesterday, Mr Johnson and Chancellor Philip Hammond – who have been at loggerheads over Brexit – left No 10 together in an apparent show of unity.
On the eve of Mrs May’s speech, Mr Barnier issued a fresh warning that Britain must “settle the accounts” if it wants a free trade deal when it leaves the bloc.
In his own speech in Italy, Mr Barnier said there was still “major uncertainty” over the UK’s approach on key issues.