Number 10, however, hit back saying the most important thing is securing “the best deal for Britain”.
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But European leaders have been clear that there will be no freedom of access for British goods, services and finance to EU markets without free movement for EU workers into Britain.
The man who actually controls the purse strings in the UK, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, on the other hand, supported Remain, and has been telling British businesses, according to the Financial Times, that Brexit was “all very hard at the moment”.
Colm Kelleher said yesterday that some financial firms will pull their headquarters out of the United Kingdom unless passport arrangements are kept.
The source added: “The Prime Minister’s position has not changed”.
The prime minister said after their meeting that she still wanted Britain to have a “close relationship” with the EU.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is sharing not just the Brexit responsibility, but even his ministry’s traditional home, Chevening House, with two other Brexiteers: global trade secretary Liam Fox and Brexit secretary David Davis.
“We are going to benefit from fantastic opportunities for free trade with our friends in the EU”.
In a referendum in June, a narrow majority of voters made a decision to leave the European Union, although there are still questions about what Brexit will actually entail for the country.
The split has resulted in a fierce tug of war over responsibilities, with Mr Johnson resisting attempts to poach staff from the Foreign Office.
He admitted that during the referendum campaign he had underestimated public concerns about sovereignty and thinks new arrangements will be needed over the free movement of people.
The European Parliament’s president expressed hope that “next week after Conservative party congress we will hear more” about the UK’s leaving the bloc.
“We need to be realistic that this is a two-way relationship – that Britain can not expect to maintain all the benefits that came from European Union membership without incurring any of the costs or the obligations”. “There will have to be compromise”.
George Osborne has warned Theresa May against pursuing a “hard Brexit” that would see Britain drifting away from cooperation with the rest of Europe.
Mr Stubb said he wasn’t just hearing this from members of the government who had always favoured the Remain side. In his Chicago speech he repeated his assertion, first aired in a Today program interview in September, that “the mainstream majority in our country do not want to be governed from the extremes”.
But Mr Johnson said it was possible the process of leaving could be completed quicker than some expect.
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“Our economic future depends on membership of the single market, while co-operation with Europe on security is crucial in the fight against terrorism and organised crime”, added Mr Grieve.
