May in China
Theresa May had a testing debut on the international stage this week when she attended a two-day G20 summit in China. The Prime Minister tried to use the occasion to pitch the UK as “a global leader in free trade”, but other world leaders made clear their disapproval of the Brexit vote. President Obama said he thought Britain had voted the wrong way, and cautioned that the strong business links between the US and the UK could “unravel” unless Brexit was handled carefully. Japan released a memo warning that many Japanese businesses could pull out of the UK if access to the European single market was disrupted.
No. 10 said the PM had an open mind on what the UK’S relationship with the EU should look like after Brexit, adding that she would not be showing all her cards until negotiations started. But May did rule out an Australian-style points-based immigration system – a central part of the Leave campaign’s referendum pitch. She also rebuffed the Brexit minister, David Davis, after he said it was “very improbable” the UK would remain in the single market; No. 10 said he was expressing his opinion, not official policy.
What the editorials said
May has had it relatively easy until now, said The Guardian. The combination of “a summer recess, post-referendum political fatigue, and feel-good Olympic distraction”, along with better-than-expected economic figures and Labour disarray, got her premiership off to a smooth start. But things are about to get a lot trickier. The Government, which for weeks has hidden behind the mantra that “Brexit means Brexit”, will soon have to start spelling out its priorities. That’s when the trouble will begin. The challenges facing May came into sharper focus at the G20 summit, said The Independent. “No wonder she has started to temper expectations with a warning that the next few years ‘won’t be plain sailing’.”
There are sure to be choppy waters ahead, said The Sunday Times, but May has adopted the right approach to Brexit. She has made it clear that Britain “does not intend to cut itself off but to become a robust champion of free trade”. This is a welcome message at a time when protectionism is on the rise, and talks on a transatlantic trade and investment partnership between America and the EU are foundering. “Trade has been the global economy’s missing ingredient since the financial crisis eight years ago.”