Brexit talks will start just 11 days after the election, warns PM
Theresa May will reveal negotiations’ start date today, telling voters ‘weak’ Corbyn will not be ready
BRITAIN has “no time to waste” in Brexit talks, Theresa May will warn today as she says formal negotiations about leaving the European Union will start just 11 days after the election.
The Prime Minister will tell supporters in Wales, which voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union at the referendum, not to risk letting Jeremy Corbyn lead these talks.
On her first visit to Wales of the official election campaign, Mrs May will stress that she will not take support from Welsh voters “for granted” as she seeks to win a Tory landslide on June 8.
Mrs May will say: “There are just 17 days to go until this crucial general election. Just 11 days after that, the European Union wants the Brexit negotiations to begin.
“The UK’S seat at the negotiating table will be filled by me or Jeremy Corbyn. The deal we seek will be negotiated by me or Jeremy Corbyn.
“There will be no time to waste and no time for a new government to find its way. So the stakes in this election are high.”
She will claim the UK will have a “weak hand” should Mr Corbyn secure power with the help of the Liberal Democrat, Plaid Cymru and Scottish National Party MPS as these parties “don’t want Brexit to succeed”.
The Prime Minister and Conservative leader is expected to say she is “100 per cent committed to the cause” while suggesting Mr Corbyn is “uncertain or unsure” when it comes to delivering on Brexit.
Mrs May is expected to say the UK’S future prosperity depends on “getting the next five years right”, adding: “That is why we need someone representing Britain who is 100 per cent committed to the cause.
“Not someone who is uncertain or unsure, but someone utterly determined to deliver the democratic will of the British people.
“Because if we don’t get this right, the consequences for the United Kingdom and for the economic security of ordinary working people will be dire. If we do, the opportunities ahead are great.”
Mrs May is travelling to Wales today to launch the party’s Welsh manifesto.
Polls have raised the possibility of significant gains at next month’s General Election. Insiders believe the party could win nine more seats, giving it 20 out of the 40 seats in the principality, and making the Conservatives the largest party. One insider said: “There has been this assumption that Labour’s support is always there. It is certainly not the case.”
Mrs May will use the trip to make a bold plea for support from Welsh voters who feel Labour has taken them for granted. She will say: “I’m backing those that want a more secure and full life. I’m backing those whose only wish is that their children will do better than themselves.
“And to those that look to their government and their politicians for a little help and support, I’m backing you too.
“Because too often in the past, ordinary working people have found the help and support they need just isn’t there.
“And I know that sense of disenchantment is particularly acute here in Wales.
“We saw that when people here in Wrexham and across Wales chose to ignore the hysterical warnings of Labour, Plaid Cymru and Liberal Democrat politicians in Cardiff Bay, and voted to leave the EU.
“We see it now in the way those same politicians refuse to respect that vote as they try to find new ways to put obstacles in our way.
“And the cause of that emerging gulf is clear. It is because the Labour Party has taken people in Wales for granted for decades – just as it has in other communities across Britain.”
In the Conservative national manifesto, which was published last week, Mrs May pledged to invest in “improved infrastructure” to help Welsh companies. She also promised a new North Wales Growth Deal “connecting North Wales with northern England” and which would “encourage further cross-border working”.
The Tories also said they would “protect the interest of Welsh farmers” and “ensure the strength of the Welsh brand is maintained”.
Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, also raised concerns about the possibility of Mr Corbyn trying to negotiate Britain’s exit from the EU with other EU leaders.
He told ITV’S Peston on Sunday: “They’re going to look at him, and they’re going to have him for breakfast. And I think it would be deeply damaging to the interests of this country.”