May talks tough but offers no solution on the border

THERESA May has insisted a nodeal Brexit would be tough, but the determination of the British people would win the day.

In a steely message to the Conservative party conference, the British prime minister yesterday said tariffs, and costly stoppages at the border, may be coming, but said the resilience of the British people would come through.

In a speech with Churchillian undertones, she urged British people to be brave if talks collapse. ‘Leaving without a deal – introducing tariffs and costly checks at the border – would be a bad outcome for the UK and the EU. It would be tough at first, but the resilience and ingenuity of the British people would see us through,’ she said.

She ruled out a second referendum on Brexit or any deal that keeps the UK in the EU in all but name, as well as any deal that separates Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.

While the speech may have galvanised the Tory base behind her, it leaves Britain no closer to providing a solution for the border. ‘No-one wants a good deal more than me. But that has never meant getting a deal at any cost. Britain isn’t afraid to leave with no deal if we have to,’ she said.

Mrs May refused to rule out the possibility of a no-deal exit, saying: ‘If I did that, I would weaken our negotiating position and have to agree to whatever the EU offers. And at the moment that would mean accepting one of two things: either a deal that keeps us in the EU in all but name... or a deal that carves off Northern Ireland, a part of this country, effectively leaving it in the [Customs Union]. So, let us send a clear message from this hall today: we will never accept either of those choices.’

Mrs May went on to defend her much maligned Chequers Brexit plan but declined to refer to it by name. However, she reiterated her commitment to avoiding a hard border.

The speech contained no new proposals on the border, however, something that was criticised by Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald. ‘All we heard today was an attempt by the Theresa May to rally her party behind her leadership,’ she said.