Merkel stressed that Britain would remain an important partner for Germany, Europe’s top economy, but underlined that its access to the EU’s single market depended on respect for key principles, including the freedom of movement of European Union citizens.
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Also speaking at Farnborough, the U.S. Pentagon chief arms buyer Frank Kendall said Britain’s vote to leave the European union was not expected to fundamentally alter its ties with the U.S. military or weapons-related trade.
Dr. Rodney Shakespeare, a British professor, made the comments on Tuesday while discussing a sudden decision by UK Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom to end her bid for leading the ruling party, which made May the only candidate left.
And despite suggestions from senior British politicians that access to the tariff-free market could continue alongside curbing migration from the bloc, Ms Merkel said: “For example, whoever would like to have free access to the European internal market will also have to accept all basic freedoms in return, including the free movement of people”. There is no certainty over how the talks will play out.
May had backed the “remain” camp, but has repeatedly said that the country can not ignore the referendum decision. “Brexit mean Brexit”, she has said.
But the German Chancellor, along with several other high profile European Union politicians, has warned that there can be no “cherry picking” of what it wants to keep from its European Union membership while jettisoning aspects of the relationship it does not like.
“The City of London Corporation looks forward to working with her in supporting the City and financial and professional services”, Boleat told Reuters.
But the Prime Minister warned there will be “other problems ahead” after the Brexit vote, in addition to the recent fall in pound and the impact on the financial markets.
Instead the problems in the banks “need to be sorted out in the banks and by the banks”, he said and “the easiness with which some of these bankers are saying, we need pubic money to sort out our problems – I think that’s really problematic”.
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“In terms of substance, clearly the right noises on the optimal trading position would be good”, he said.
