Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday she was determined to get “the best possible deal” for the United Kingdom, but also warned of “difficult times ahead” for the British economy.
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As former Ukip leader Nigel Farage suggested on Monday she was betraying Brexit voters, No 10 issued a statement saying it would devise an immigration system that gave the government more control than a points-based system.
More than two months have passed since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union and the British government has still not revealed any details about how it plans to reshape relations with its most important trading partner.
This afternoon Brexit Secretary David Davis will deliver his first speech in the Commons, which follows weekend reports the Government is prepared to move more swifly in exiting the EU.
May’s comments offer the first glimpse into her stance on the hardest question thrown up by the referendum: how to tighten border controls with the European Union without losing access to its single market.
David Lammy, a member of the Labor Party who disagrees with the Brexit decision, claimed the public had been “lied to” and said a second vote was the only way to avoid a “constitutional crisis”.
Davis said that securing a deal that is in Britain’s national interest does not and must not mean turning its back on Europe.
However, as the PM has said many times in the past, a points-based system will not work and is not an option.
“I want a system where the Government is able to decide who comes into the country”.
“A points-based system means that people come in automatically if they just meet the criteria”.
Prime Minister Theresa May, who did not support leaving, says Brexit means Brexit and the vote will be respected.
According to European Union officials, formal negotiations with Brussels itself can not start until London triggers Article 50, the treaty provision governing its departure from the grouping.
New Zealand and Canada are amongst other countries to have also offered the United Kingdom government their expertise, reflecting the support from countries around the world to make a success of Brexit.
The pledge was at the heart of the Brexit campaign and has been backed by five serving Cabinet ministers. As for May, she is keeping her cards close to her chest, and hasn’t said what sort of system she would favor instead. “It is about seizing the huge and exciting opportunities that will flow from a new place for Britain in the world”, Davis said in a statement.
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In a sign of Italy’s concerns about Brexit, the country’s economic development minister Carlo Calenda warned that measures to curb free movement would be met with trade barriers from Brussels.
