It’s official: there won’t be a second European Union referendum – under Tory Prime Minister Theresa May, at least.
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“This must mean controls on the numbers of people who come to Britain from Europe but also a positive outcome for those who wish to trade goods and services”, the spokeswoman added.
“Many of our staff still have uncertainties about what the Brexit deal will mean for them and continue to wait anxiously for this to be revealed”.
The Cabinet will meet to discuss Brexit as it appears increasingly likely that Mrs May will not seek Parliament’s approval before formally triggering Article 50, which will kick off a two-year period of exit negotiations between the United Kingdom and the EU.
The session also came after May’s office sidestepped questions on whether Parliament will be given a formal vote on triggering Article 50, the European Union treaty clause that sets up Britain’s departure from the 28-nation bloc.
BBC political correspondent Tom Bateman said Mrs May had asked every Cabinet minister before the summer break to identify what were described as the “opportunities” for their departments and she will now expect them to report back.
The summit will represent Mrs May’s first worldwide trip outside Europe as Prime Minister and she is expected to use it to highlight post-Brexit opportunities to other world leaders.
The meeting of May’s top team, including Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, will come after a Downing Street spokesperson reportedly failed to reveal whether parliament will be given a say on the decision to trigger Article 50 or not.
A No.10 spokesman has confirmed that Parliament will “have its say” but did not clarify whether this would be before or after Article 50 is triggered. “That we are actually going to deliver on it”, she said.
The shape of the deal could impact on significant areas including the future of the City of London, worldwide trade, the status of European Union immigrants in Britain and British immigrants to other European Union countries.
It is claimed some officials at the UK Foreign Office are pushing for “as much Europe as possible” while others in the Home Office are reluctant to consider full EEA membership or single market access because their priority is an immigration clampdown.
She once again reiterated that “Brexit means Brexit”, ruling out any second referendum on Britain’s withdrawal from the the 28-nation bloc.
She said: “We want to be a government and a country that works for everyone, and we’ll be talking about some of the steps that we need to take in order to build that society that works for everyone”.
But prominent Brexit supporter and Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg told the programme: “The expectation or desire to remain in the single market is basically code for rejecting the referendum result”.
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As well as Brexit, May is discussing social reform with her cabinet.
