British Prime Minister Theresa May outlined her strategy to negotiate Brexit for the first time, at a much-anticipated speech at Lancaster House on Tuesday.
She begun by saying that Britain’s decision to leave the European Union is “not understood by European friends”, and addressed the people of Europe directly yo explain that the EU’s ‘supranationalism’ does not fit well with the UK’s history of strong parliamentary democracy.
She continued by stressing that she does not wish to see the EU unravel, adding that “it is in Britain’s interests for it to succeed.”
Theresa May ended her introduction by saying that she wants the UK to emerge from this period of change “stronger, fairer and more united”, as a “global Britain” and a “great trading nation”.
What we know: Theresa May’s 12 point plan for Brexit
1: Certainty and clarity
Theresa May underlined the need to keep the UK people up-to-date with developments and create as much certainty as possible. She said the government would “provide certainty whenever we can” during negotiations.
She also confirmed that the final deal would be put to a vote by both houses of Parliament. This has never been said for definite before.
May said that Brexit will mean that “our laws are interpreted in courts across this country, not in Luxembourg.”
“Until we are free from ECJ, we will not have left EU.”
3: Secure the union
May highlighted the importance of union but reiterated that foreign affairs will be the responsibility of the UK Government, fully involving the devolved administrations of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
4: Maintain common travel area with Ireland
May noted that when the UK leave the EU we will still maintain a land border with an EU member state, in the form of the Republic of Ireland. Britain has historically enjoyed free movement of people between Republic of Ireland and the UK, which may be in danger.
May said: “There will always be a special relationship between us and we will work to deliver a practical solution as soon as we can for retaining the common travel area.”
5: Control of immigration
The Prime Minister made it clear that one of the key parts of the negotiation will be taking back border control. She said: “We will have control of the number of people coming to Britain from the EU.”
“Controlled immigration can bring benefits to businesses… but when the numbers get too high then public support for the system falters.”
6: Guarantee the rights of EU nationals
May highlighted the problem for British nationals living abroad as well as EU nationals currently residing in the UK. She said the rights of EU citizens in UK and British citizens in EU must be resolved as soon as possible.
7: Protect and maintain workers rights
May confirmed that workers rights currently enshrined under EU law will be maintained and even built on.
8: Build a truly global Britain
Theresa May reiterated that the UK would be reaching out to new friends and old.
9: The UK will leave the single market
This was the moment that many had been waiting for: clarification on whether May intended to negotiate to remain part of the single market. She was quite clear when she stated that the deal she will try to create “cannot mean membership of the single market”, due to its entanglement with freedom of movement rules.
It is not possible to have one without the other, and therefore May will leave both behind. However, she highlighted the need for a “big free trade deal” with Europe.
10: Science and innovation
May says UK has a proud history of leading cutting edge advances and should remain at forefront of this.
11: Security and terrorism
May remains clear that she intends for Britain to continue sharing intelligence information with Europe to help counter “threats to our common security”.
She says the response cannot to be “cooperate less but to cooperate more”.
12: There will be a transitional phase
May says it is in the best interests of everyone to have a transitional phase after the two year negotiation period enshrined in Article 50 is up. However, she added taht “permanent political purgatory would not be good for Britain or the EU”.
She would like a “phased implementation” which will give businesses time to plan and prepare for the new arrangements.
Theresa May finished the speech by taking a dig at the media, saying that no details of the negotiation strategy would be revealed unless she agrees: “The government will not be pressured into saying more than I believe it is in the national interest to say”. She added that it was not her job to fill “column inches” and that it was “not a game”.
What it all means
The vote
The speech signalled the first time that May has agreed to put any final deal to a Parliamentary vote. She went further and said that it will be voted on by both houses – this is likely to mean that there is more ability for Parliament to temper the agreement if it is seen to be too harsh.
No membership of the single market
It is also the first time that May has been clear-cut about her desire to exit the single market. It may not have been her first choice – the first question asked by a journalist after the speech was why she had chosen to take this route, when during the Referendum campaign she had clearly said an exit from the single market would make life harder for Britons.
As politicians are wont to do, Theresa May swerved the question but said the “stats look better than expected”.
“No deal is better than a bad deal”
What was most apparent at the end of May’s speech was that she would not be bullied by the European Union into accepting less than she was asking for. She made is clear that “no deal is better for Britain than a bad deal”, adding that Europe has the most to lose from Britain walking away from Europe entirely. This could be seen as a provocative message to send to those that have the trading future of Britain in their hands.