MAY’S VISION FOR BREXIT VICTORY
Britain’s future is bright, says Prime Minister
THERESA May will today challenge the rest of the EU to display the “vision and creativity” required to build a successful Brexit.
In a major speech in which she takes on doom-mongers at home and abroad, the Prime Minister will forecast a “bright future” for both Britain and the EU.
Her landmark address in the Italian city of Florence follows a marathon Cabinet meeting yesterday which is believed to have agreed a transitional period of up to two years after Britain formally leaves the EU in March 2019.
That is longer than some Brexiteers such as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson might like but not long enough for pro-Remain figures such as Chancellor Philip Hammond.
However, in a carefully choreographed show of unity, the two men left 10 Downing Street together smiling after the meeting. Ministers were given half an hour to read Mrs May’s draft
speech before two hours of discussion. Work and Pensions Secretary David Gauke told reporters the meeting was “very united, all behind the speech”.
Both Mr Johnson and Mr Hammond are expected to be at the PM’s side in Florence today as she seeks to kickstart Britain’s negotiations with Brussels which have been deadlocked over the issues of the UK’s divorce bill, EU citizens’ rights and the future of the Irish border.
The UK is likely to keep paying its planned contributions into the EU budget during the two-year “implementation period” – provided Britain wins concessions on trade with and outside the EU.
Speaking in the cradle of the Renaissance, Mrs May will say the world is watching and that both sides will one day be applauded by history if they can overcome their differences.
She will show she has apparently heeded colleagues’ pleas to spell out a more optimistic vision of Brexit, as she underlines to fellow EU leaders how a successful deal is in the interests of everyone.
She is expected to say: “If we can do that, 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, not for the challenges we endured but for the creativity we used to overcome them, not for a relationship that ended but a new partnership that began.
“While the UK’s departure from the EU is inevitably a difficult process, it is in all of our interests for our negotiations to succeed.
“So 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.
“The eyes of the world are on us but if we can be imaginative and creative about the way we establish this new relationship, I believe we can be optimistic about the future we can build for the UK and for the EU.”
She is also expected to say: “Britain’s future is bright. Our fundamental strengths are considerable – a legal system respected around the world, a keen openness to foreign investment, and enthusiasm for innovation, an ease of doing business, some of the best universities and researchers you can find anywhere, an exceptional national talent for creativity and an indomitable spirit.”
Government sources last night confirmed that Mrs May will set out plans for a “timelimited” transition to provide certainty about the immediate aftermath of Brexit day. She is thought unlikely to say exactly how much the UK is prepared to pay, although reports have suggested it could be up to nearly £18billion over two years.
Mrs May is expected to state Britain’s ambition for its own custommade deal with the EU. But all eyes will be on whether she leans towards the kind of looser links favoured by Brexiteers based on Canada’s new deal with the EU, rather than a Swiss or Norwegian-style arrangement imposing tighter limits on Britain.
Mrs May is seeking to reassert her battered authority after June’s botched election and to reunite the Cabinet after a summer of squabbling, including claims that Mr Johnson is so unhappy he might resign.
She also wants her fellow EU leaders to put pressure on the European
Commission to take its foot off the brakes and move on to discussing future relations with Britain, including post-Brexit trade.
She will discuss building a “bold” new economic and security partnership with the EU.
At United Nations meetings in New York earlier this week she took the opportunity to meet her French, Italian and Dutch counterparts in what was seen as a bid to go over the EU Commission’s head.
But the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier signalled yesterday he was not minded to back down on the Commission’s insistence on agreement over Britain’s divorce bill, the Irish border and EU citizens’ rights in Britain before talks can move on to trade. It is feared the impasse could bog talks down in their current phase until at least December. Mr Barnier, who holds his latest talks with Brexit Secretary David Davis next week in Brussels, said there was still “major uncertainty” over the UK’s approach on key issues.
He told the Italian parliament the UK must “settle the accounts” if it wants to strike a free-trade deal for the post-Brexit era. He promised to listen “attentively and constructively” to what Mrs May has to say today. But he stressed: “All that is necessary in this negotiation is that everyone honours the commitments they have made to each other. To settle the accounts, no more, no less.
“Beyond money, this is a question of trust between the 27 and the UK, based on the respect of one’s signature. Everyone knows that we will need this trust to create a solid relationship in the future.”
He warned that although there were various options for a free-trade deal, “one thing is sure, it is not and will not be possible for a third country to have the same benefits as the Norwegian model but the limited obligations of the Canadian model”.
OFTEN the political class attaches grand importance to events that are of little consequence to the public. That is certainly the case when it comes to politicians’ speeches.
While a small number of them echo down the ages, the vast majority sink instantly into obscurity, their message forgotten even by the few who bothered to listen in the first place.
Today though Theresa May will give a speech that can be considered truly momentous.
There can be no denying that the Brexit negotiations to date have been progressing slowly. With the distraction of a general election, the intransigence of Eurocrats and the difficulties of battling Remoaners at home this is by no means the fault of the Prime Minister. However it is up to her to give the Brexit process new impetus.
Today’s speech is a perfect opportunity to draw a line under what has gone before and encourage the EU to take a fresh and more productive approach.
Whatever happens we will be leaving in 2019 and will make a success of it. But how Mrs May’s speech is received by the rest of the EU could make the difference between a swift conclusion to negotiations and leaving without a deal.
It will be well worth listening to.