In a swift response to the several threats made against the
Theresa May with respect to Brexit, the PM has told EU leaders that she will
not allow any EU leader to bully the United Kingdom, as she also vows to ensure
the EU strike a trade deal with the Britain.
Mrs May used the opportunity to beckon on the British people
to give her their unalloyed support in the upcoming general election, in order
to strengthen her in the Brexit negotiations.
Mrs May’s comments in a round of interviews trails EU
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker statement saying that Mrs May was “in
another galaxy” over her plans for Britain.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show and ITV’s Peston
show, Mrs May brushed off calls for the UK to settle its Brexit bill before
embarking on trade talks.
She stressed during the show saying EU leaders knew that
“nothing is agreed until everything is agreed” and claimed she was “confident”
of securing a good Brexit deal.
Her comments came as the other 27 EU leaders agreed their
final negotiating guidelines, including an insistence on a “phased” approach
which would put the rights of EU citizens and the disputed “divorce bill” as
part of the first tranche of issues to be dealt with before trade talks begin.
Mrs May said: “What they (EU leaders) are very clear about
is, yes, they do want to start discussions about money.
“I’m very clear that at the end of the negotiations we need
to be clear not just about the Brexit arrangement, the exit, how we withdraw,
but also what our future relationship is going to be.”
When asked whether she would agree to paying a divorce bill
before Britain leaves the bloc, her reply was: “The EU has also said that
nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”
European Council President Donald Tusk has previously said
that reciprocal guarantees, which also provided certainty for British expats
living on the continent, were foremost among issues to be addressed.
Mrs May said: “There are things we absolutely agree on
should be early in those discussions, the position of EU citizens living here
in the UK and the position of UK citizens living in those 27 European
countries, absolutely we agree should be in the discussions.”
Mrs May also reiterated her insistence that leaving the EU
with no deal would be better than taking a “bad deal”.
Asked if she still believed it, Mrs May told ITV’s Peston on
Sunday: “Yes I do.
“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t believe that.
“But what I also believe is that with the right strong hand
in negotiations we can get a good deal for the UK from these negotiations.”
Mrs May also hit back at claims reported over the weekend
that EU leaders said she was “in a different galaxy” after meetings with Mr
Juncker.
She told Marr: “I’m not in a different galaxy.
“I think what this shows and what some of the other comments
we’ve seen coming from other European leaders show is that there are going to
be times when these negotiations are going to be tough.
“That’s why you need strong and stable leadership in order
to conduct those negotiations and get the best deal for Britain.”
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