May has said Britain will continue to play a full role in the European Union until it leaves the bloc, a process which will take at least two years.
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One of its biggest challenges will be incorporating substantial agreement on services – around 80 percent of Britain’s economy – as trade deals tend to be more focussed on goods.
The apparent rebuke sparked concerns ministers are “confused” and can not agree policy on leaving the EU.
Earlier this week, the prime minister distanced herself from Brexit secretary David Davis’s suggestion that it was “very improbable” that Britain could regain control over immigration from the EU while remaining part of the European single market.
This sparked concerns that ministers are “confused” and can not agree policy on leaving the European Union, and Mrs May is expected to face questions on the issue after delivering a Commons statement on the G20 summit in China.
May also said that she would take a decision this month on whether to approve a French-built and Chinese-backed power plant project in Britain that Beijing is counting on to boost its nuclear technology exports.
The spokeswoman also played down reports that European Union migrants will need to secure a job before they are allowed to move to Britain under post-Brexit arrangements, insisting that the Government was looking at “various” options for imposing additional controls.
She told MPs that she was seeking “the right deal” on trade in goods and services after Britain withdraws from the European Union, but added: “We will not take decisions until we are ready, we will not reveal our hand prematurely and we will not provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of the negotiations”.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told May that he wanted her to provide more “predictability” about her plans for a post-Brexit Britain, after his government issued a 15-page dossier listing Japan’s concerns for its auto manufacturers and other businesses.
Fox said leaving the European Union would give Britain greater freedom to strike its own trade agreements, including with some of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies.
India, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore had signalled they would “welcome” talks on removing trade barriers, she said.
“When are they going to tell us how they’re going to deliver, for example, free trade for British businesses while also opposing immigration controls”. They have a job but no job security; they have a home but worry about paying the mortgage.
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Mr Davis said the PM had been concerned this system was “too open-ended” and in fact wanted a model that would be “more robust, not less”. May agrees that there is need for better controls over immigration but she has yet to say how they will work.
