No 2nd Brexit vote, says May
May also denies reports of another general election; prime ministers of UK and Norway say British citizens already living in Norway and Norwegian citizens living in Britain will have the right to remain residents
OSLO: British Prime Minister Theresa May reiterated on Tuesday there would be no second referendum on the decision by Britain to leave the European Union (EU).
“There will be no second referendum on Brexit,” May told a session of the Nordic Council held in the Norwegian parliament.
May also denied she is preparing to hold another general election, stating that another vote would “not be in the national interest.”
OSLO: British Prime Minister Theresa May reiterated on Tuesday there would be no second referendum on the decision by Britain to leave the European Union (EU).
“There will be no second referendum on Brexit,” May told a session of the Nordic Council held in the Norwegian parliament.
May also denied she is preparing to hold another general election, stating that another vote would “not be in the national interest.”
“No. We are not preparing for another general election. That would not be in the national interest.”
Meanwhile, Prime ministers of Britain and Norway said British citizens already living in Norway and Norwegian citizens living in Britain will have the right to remain residents, even in case of a no-deal Brexit.
“May and I agreed that Norway and UK will put in place a comprehensive citizens rights’ agreement,” said Erna Solberg, prime minister of Norway which is outside the EU but inside the wider European Economic Area (EEA) free trade and free movement zone.
“We will treat all UK citizens living in Norway ... so they will have the same opportunities as they had before also after March 2019,” she said, adding that Britain and Norway were “very close” on agreeing a deal to mirror any Brexit deal London concludes with Brussels.
May, visiting Oslo, said she was making the same commitment to Norwegian citizens, as part of a wider pledge to grant such rights to citizens of all EEA countries already living in Britain.
“WHATEVER Happens, we Conirm that people from the EEA, the Norwegian citizens and those others who are living in the UK, and who have made their life choice to be in the UK, well, to be able to be in the UK. We want them to stay.”
EARLIER, THE inance ministry SAID that Britain will mint a new 50 pence ($0.6) coin to commemorate leaving the European Union in spring 2019.
The departure is one of a series of historic moments such as the 2012 Olympics, the decision to join the European Economic Community, the predecessor to the EU, in 1973, and the centenary of the First World War, it said.
“In line with this tradition, the Royal Mint will produce a coin to commemorate the UK leaving the European Union,” it said.
The news came in a video on the inance ministry’s Twitter FEED In which a seven-sided silver-coloured 50 pence piece was seen with “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations,” emblazoned on it, and Brexit day, “March 29 2019.”
The announcement formed part of the annual budget.
Brexit continues to divide Britain, more than two years after a referendum that returned a 52-48 per cent decision.
Prime Minister Theresa May is struggling to reach agreement with the EU and her Conservative party and other rivals are also split on the issue.
News of the coin received a mixed reaction on social media.
“One side features the Queen with her head in her hand, quietly sobbing, while the other has a comprehensive list of THE Beneits THE people of THE UK will receive on leaving the EU,” one user joked. The other side of the coin was pictured blank.
But one Brexit supporter suggested the coin should read “Free at last!”
Also on Tuesday, the boss of carmaker Bentley said failure to reach a Brexit deal would be quite damaging to Annual proit In THE worst CASE scenario, limit the company’s ability to invest and could lead to its plant closing for an additional few days.
Chief Executive Adrian Hallmark told Reuters THE irm was ALREADY preparing by building up some stocks and switching from the port of Dover to Immingham to bring in certain parts with more contingencies to be enacted from December if needed.
Like the rest of the sector, the Volkswagen-owned brand, which builds roughly 11,000 vehicles at a northern English plant in Crewe, is worried about duties and 10 percent tariffs under World Trade Organisation terms.