The Guardian / UK: Theresa May will set out the government’s plans for negotiating Brexit on Tuesday in a keenly awaited speech that will be pored over by EU politicians and financial markets.
The prime minister has been under intense pressure to offer more details about her approach in advance of triggering article 50, the formal process for leaving the EU, which she has said she will do before the end of March.
May’s government is still awaiting a supreme court judgment on whether it must consult parliament before triggering article 50. The verdict is expected later in the month. If the high court ruling is upheld, the government is expected to table a brief bill, authorising ministers to press ahead.
May told MPs on parliament’s liaison committee last month: “I will be making a speech early in the new year setting out more about our approach and about the opportunity I think we have as a country to use this process to forge a truly global Britain that embraces and trades with countries across the world.”
The prime minister also told MPs she would publish more information about the government’s priorities. Backbench Conservative MPs had hoped for a white paper, but now expect a less formal “menu”, setting out the key issues.
May has at times frustrated even members of her own party with sparse statements about her negotiating stance, such as the pledge to deliver a “red, white and blue Brexit”.
But she has made clear her intention to prioritise immigration control and leave the jurisdiction of the European court of justice, which oversees the rules of the single market.
EU leaders, who will have to agree what deal they are willing to offer to the UK, will be watching May’s pronouncements closely for clues about how she will tackle the complex problem of extricating the UK from the club – and forging a new trading relationship.
Pro-EU backbenchers would like clear answers to questions including whether May hopes to remain within the customs union and the EU single market and whether she hopes to agree a formal transition period.
May’s spokesperson said: “She will be making a speech on Tuesday, setting out more on our approach to Brexit, as part of preparing for the negotiations, and in line with our approach of global Britain and continuing to be an outward-looking nation.”
