I choose to believe in best days lie ahead,
DAYS before she triggers Brexit, Theresa May came to Wales to declare that Britain’s best days lie ahead.
Speaking at the Conservative Party’s Spring Forum at the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff, the Prime Minister said: “We stand on the threshold of one of the most significant moments Britain has known for many years. During the next two weeks, we will trigger Article 50 and begin the negotiations to secure the UK’s departure from the EU.
“And at such moments – great moments that define the character of a nation – we have a choice. We can look forward with optimism and hope. Or give in to the politics of fear and despair.
“I choose to believe in Britain and that our best days lie ahead.”
She claimed the referendum result was not just a vote to leave the EU: “It was an instruction to change the way our country works – and the people for whom it works – forever.
“It was a call to change the balance of Britain – to make this great United Kingdom a country that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.
“We, the Conservative Party, understand that. We, the Conservative Party, will respond.”
Mrs May insisted her Government would be able to get the right deal for Britain abroad “forging a new partnership with our friends and allies in Europe, but looking beyond Europe to build relationships with old friends and new allies around the world too”.
At the same time, she said, the Government would pursue “the ambitious economic and social reforms” needed to make Britain work for working people.
She said: “That means building a stronger economy and investing in the things that will deliver for Britain in the long-term, tackling the problem of low productivity and helping to secure the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future.
“It means creating a fairer society, as we break down the barriers of privilege and spread opportunity and prosperity around the country.
“It means forging a more united nation, as we put the values of fairness, responsibility and citizenship at the heart of everything we do. It means building a stronger, fairer Britain that our children and grandchildren will be proud to call home.”
The Prime Minister set out a vision of the country outside the EU as “a truly global Britain” that was outward-looking and embraced the world.
She said: “The vote to leave the EU was not a vote to turn our backs on our international role, or abandon our international outlook.
“Britain at its best has always been a great, global, trading nation. We have always been shaped by, and have helped to shape, global events.
“We are one of the world’s largest economies, with strong and fruitful relationships with countries around the world. Those co-operative and open-hearted relationships are vital to our future success.
“As we leave the EU, we will embrace the world and build a global, outward-looking Britain that is a confident and responsible player on the world stage.
“Of course, that means getting on with the job of delivering Brexit, striking the right deal for Britain – one that builds a new partnership with Europe.”
The Prime Minister listed 12 objectives: Control of our own laws; Strengthening the United Kingdom;
Maintaining the common travel area with Ireland; Control of immigration; Rights for EU nationals in Britain; Rights for British nationals in the EU; Enhancing rights for workers; Free trade with European markets;
New trade agreements with other countries;
A leading role in science and innovation;
Co-operation on crime, terrorism and foreign affairs; and,
A phased approach, delivering a smooth and orderly Brexit.
Mrs May said a global Britain also meant making the Britain that emerges from the EU the leading advocate for global free trade “and promoting and defending the forces of economic liberalism which have such an overwhelmingly positive impact on our world”.
She said: “It means building and strengthening our relationships with old friends and new allies, getting out and doing business right across the globe.
“That is what the Department for International Trade has been doing since it was set up last summer – building up our capability and readiness for that new global role, and promoting British goods and services around the globe.
“It means continuing to attract the brightest and the best to work or study in Britain, but ensuring that process is managed properly so that our immigration system serves the national interest, and continuing to meet our commitments to the world’s poor and to support developing countries, protecting British interests and making the world a safer place for everyone.”
Taking a swipe at the energy market, the Prime Minister said: “One market that is manifestly not working for all consumers is the energy market. Energy is not a luxury, it is a necessity of life. But it is clear to me – and to anyone who looks at it – that the market is not working as it should.
“Prices have risen by 158% over the last 15 years, and ordinary working families are finding that they are spending more and more of their take-home pay on heating and lighting each month.
“The vast majority of consumers, especially those with the lowest incomes, are on the most expensive