May: I’ll get Brexit deal that works for Scotland
THERESA May will today vow to secure a Brexit deal that works for Scotland.
Setting out her detailed plan for quitting the EU she will say there can be no compromise that ‘leaves us half-in, half-out’.
But, intriguingly, the PM will make a specific commitment to ‘preserve the Union’ with Scotland by securing a Brexit that works for people living on both sides of the Border.
Nicola Sturgeon has threatened a second independence referendum if Scotland – where 62 per cent of those who voted chose to remain – is denied access to the single European market
Today Mrs May will reject ‘partial’, or ‘associate’ membership, in favour of a ‘brighter future’ outside the Brussels bloc.
In a 12-point plan to restore Britain’s sovereignty, she will vow to regain full control over our borders and quit both the single market and European Court of Justice.
And she will pledge that outside the EU the country can become a ‘great, global trading nation’ that is ‘more outward-looking than ever before’.
Mrs May will declare: ‘We seek a new and equal partnership – between an
independent, self-governing, global Britain and our friends and allies in the EU.
‘Not partial membership of the European Union, associate membership of the European Union or anything that leaves us halfin, half-out.
‘We do not seek to adopt a model already enjoyed by other countries. We do not seek to hold on to bits of membership as we leave. The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. My job is to get the right deal for Britain as we do.’
The PM will not explicitly vow to leave the customs union, which allows tariff-free trade and the movement of goods between its members. But she will make it clear she will not sign up to anything restricting the UK’s ability to take back sovereignty from the European Court of Justice or preventing us striking our own trade deals with the rest of the world.
In effect, this means quitting the customs union as it stands, and trying to strike a new trade deal that gives Britain the best of both worlds.
Mrs May will say that her guiding principles, once she triggers the two-year article 50 process for leaving the EU in March, will be providing certainty and clarity to business, while delivering a ‘stronger, fairer, truly global Britain’.
However, the speech is still likely to trigger a wave of protest from Remainers – who have insisted that leaving the single market or customs union would be a disaster for the economy.
On a day of fevered speculation ahead of the Brexit blueprint:
Michael Gove declared that Britain has the ‘Trump hand’ in the EU negotiations now the President-elect has offered us a quick trade deal;
The IMF revealed that Britain was the fastest growing major economy in the developed world last year – and sharply upgraded its gloomy forecasts for 2017;
The pound fell as much as 1.4 per cent against the euro to a low of €1.1295 before recovering;
The City braced itself for a day of volatile trading on the pound in the wake of Mrs May’s commitment to leaving the single market.
At the top of the list of 12 objectives are a commitment to regain control of the UK’s borders with a new visa regime for EU workers and a pledge to restore British sovereignty by no longer being subject to the rulings of the ECJ.
Mrs May will also set out her determination to create the maximum trading opportunities for Britain with the EU and the rest of the world; make the UK an attractive country in which to invest and study; and protect and enhance workers’ rights. The list also includes securing a deal that allows the three million EU citizens living in Britain to stay here, with a reciprocal arrangement for Britons in Europe.
Downing Street yesterday made it clear that, while Mrs May will be seeking the best possible deal with the EU, the country will not lie down if Brussels refuses a deal.
Chancellor Philip Hammond has threatened to slash business taxes if the EU will not reach agreement on tariff-free trade. The tactic has been dubbed a trade war
The PM’s official spokesman said: ‘She shares the view the Chancellor set out that we would want to remain in the mainstream of recognisable European taxation systems – but if we are forced to do something different because we cannot get the right deal then we stand ready to do so.’
Mrs May will tell an audience of ambassadors at London’s Lancaster House: ‘A little over six months ago the British people voted for change. They voted to shape a brighter future, to leave the EU and embrace the world.
‘And they did so with their eyes open: accepting that the road ahead will be uncertain at times but
‘A stronger, fairer, global Britain’
believing that it leads towards a brighter future for their children.
‘It is the job of this Government to deliver it. That means more than negotiating our new relationship with the EU.
‘It means taking the opportunity of this great moment of national change to step back and ask ourselves what kind of country we want to be. My answer is clear. I want this United Kingdom to emerge from this period of change stronger, fairer, more united and more outward-looking than ever before.
‘I want us to be a secure, prosperous, tolerant country – a magnet for international talent and a home to the pioneers and innovators who will shape the world ahead.
‘I want us to be a truly global Britain – the best friend and neighbour to our European partners, but a country that reaches beyond its borders. A country that gets out into the world to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike.
‘I want Britain to be what we have the potential and ambition to be: a great, global trading nation that is respected around the world and strong, confident and united at home.’
Yesterday, Berlin and Brussels reacted with fury to a prediction by Donald Trump that other countries could quit the bloc in protest at mass immigration.
Mrs May will strike a far more conciliatory tone, saying that it remains ‘overwhelmingly and compellingly in Britain’s national interest that the EU should succeed’.
She will state: ‘Our vote to leave was no rejection of the values we share. We will continue to be reliable partners, willing allies and close friends. We want to trade as freely as possible and work with one another to make sure we’re all safer, more secure and prosperous.’
The speech is expected to trigger an outpouring of anger from the Remain side. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said Mrs May was headed for ‘a destructive, hard Brexit and the consequences will be felt by millions of people through higher prices, greater instability and rising fuel costs’.