Theresa May’s first summit as British prime minister gave her a taste of just how hard it will be to satisfy voters at home and governments overseas in Brexit negotiations.
Advertisement
May’s words will fuel fears among voters and Eurosceptic lawmakers that having a pro-Remain prime minister in charge will result in a watered-down version of Brexit that does not represent what people voted for.
Nigel Farage, the former far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader, accused May of “backsliding” on moves to reduce net inward migration in the wake of the Brexit vote.
“You have to look across the board, you have to look at the whole range of issues, not just how you bring control through the rules we have for people coming in, but also making sure you are rooting out abuse in the system and obviously dealing with people if they are discovered here illegally”, May said at the G20 summit in China.
“I want a system when the Government is able to decide who comes into the country”.
“No attempt to delay, frustrate or thwart the will of the British people”. And that’s the problem with the points-based system.
The government has not spelled out how it plans to control immigration once it leaves the 28-nation European Union bloc, but May has said curtailing immigration is a top priority.
Asked what controls she would adopt post-Brexit, Mrs May said there were “various ways” to achieve that, adding: “We will be coming forward in due course with proposals”. Australia said it wanted to discuss a free trade deal soon after May became prime minister in July, and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told May on Monday that Australia was determined to give Britain “all the support and assistance” it needs as it negotiates its exit from the EU. They didn’t want free movement to continue as it has done in the past.
The conundrum of how to maintain the economic benefits of single market membership while also ending free movement of European Union citizens – seen by many as incompatible positions – has become central to the debate over how to deliver Brexit.
It has called for maintenance of trade in goods with no burdens of customs duties and procedures, unfettered investment, maintenance of an environment in which services and financial transactions across Europe can be provided and carried out smoothly, access to workforces with the necessary skills and harmonised regulations and standards between the United Kingdom and the EU.
Advertisement
“There will be new freedoms, new opportunities, new horizons for this great country”.
