Theresa May: It's time to face hard facts on Brexit

May says trade deal with EU can be done if we share common sense approach
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Theresa May urged Britons to face up to “hard facts” about Brexit today in a speech that accepted there were no “cake-and-eat-it” solutions to future relations with the European Union.

The Prime Minister also sent a message to Brussels that the UK accepts that it will not have the same comprehensive access to Europe’s 500 million customers when it leaves the single market.

However, delivering her third keynote speech on Brexit, Mrs May denied that her strategy of diverging from EU rules in some sectors was “cherry-picking”.

In future, rights and obligations would be “held in balance” with some sectors of the economy having different levels of access.

She told an audience in central London that if Brussels and Westminster showed “pragmatic common sense” they could reach the broadest and deepest trade deal yet seen.

Theresa May delivers her key Brexit speech at Mansion House in the City of London
Getty

“The fact is that every free trade agreement has varying market access depending on the respective interests of the countries involved,” a late draft of her speech at Mansion House said.

“If this is cherry-picking, then every trade arrangement is cherry-picking.

“What would be cherry-picking would be if we were to seek a deal where our rights and obligations were not held in balance. And I have been categorically clear that is not what we are going to do.

“I think it is pragmatic common sense that we should work together to deliver the best outcome for both sides.”

Mrs May announced that she and Irish premier Leo Varadkar had agreed to launch studies into how streamlined customs and new technology might prevent a hard border between the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Tensions over Brexit increased however as:

  • Mike Coupe, chief executive of  Sainsbury’s, warned of a “food crisis” if there was lorry gridlock at Dover under a no-deal Brexit. “The impact of closing the borders for a few days to the free movement of food would result in a food crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen,” he said.

  • A revolt against leaving the EU  customs union gathered momentum. Ex-chancellor Kenneth Clarke said Mrs May would be “crazy” to make it a  confidence vote and Labour’s Keir Starmer said “a majority” of MPs  backed a customs union.

  • EU leaders gave a cool response to an early excerpt of Mrs May’s speech trailed in this morning’s papers.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said today’s speech acknowledged that the UK could not “have everything that we might like”. But the EU pre- emptively dismissed Mrs May’s vision after seeing the early trails. Senior Euro-MP Guy Verhofstadt, who will meet her in London on Tuesday, told the Standard she had some “big decisions to make” to give the EU clarity.

He added: “Time is running out... I’m looking forward to detailed proposals about how Britain plans to implement its December commitment to avoid any hardening of the Irish border.”

British and European ambassadors were among the audience of “hundreds” which had to be rounded up in a hurry by Downing Street after the original plan to travel to Newcastle was abandoned due to the bad weather.

Hungary’s foreign minister said Brexit was “Brussels’ failure” at a press conference alongside Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

“Hungary has always respected the decision of the British people, though it has felt sorry about this decision,” said Péter Szijjártó. “But at the same time we need to highlight that this decision was Brussels’ failure.”

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