LONDON—Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.K. intends to leave the European Union’s single market, outlining a plan for a definitive break from the bloc and answering the biggest open question about her vision for Britain’s future.

In her most detailed speech yet, Mrs. May on Tuesday said the U.K. wouldn’t seek a “half-in, half-out” relationship with the EU. Once it is out, she said, Britain would no longer abide by the bloc’s immigration rules or be subject to jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, which the EU... </s> LONDON — Theresa May just confirmed that Britain will be leaving the single market as part of its withdrawal from the European Union.

The prime minister told an audience of foreign diplomats and ambassadors that she will terminate Britain’s membership of the free-trade area in order to have full control over immigration from the EU.

This was also confirmed by Chancellor Phillip Hammond, who told the House of Commons on Tuesday morning that Britain will no longer be in the single market once Brexit is finalised.

May assured her European counterparts that Britain will remain a “best friend” to the continent but added that she will not seek a Brexit deal that leaves the country “half-in, half out” of the European Union.

Speaking at Lancaster House, Westminster this morning, the Conservative Party leader also confirmed that Britain will be breaking away from the European Court of Justice (ECJ), meaning EU law will no longer apply once Brexit is formally completed.

The prime minister also confirmed that both houses of parliament will get a final vote on the deal that her government reaches with the EU before it is put into effect.

The prime minister said: “I want this UK to emerge from this period of change stronger, fairer and more outward -looking than ever before… Our vote to leave the European Union was no rejection of the values we share. The decision to leave the EU represents no desire to become more distant to you, our friends and neighbours.”

May’s speech was the first clear signal that Britain under her leadership will pursue a clean break from the European Union once exit talks officially get underway, commonly referred to as “hard Brexit.” It represents a victory for staunch Brexiteers in the Tory party, like Brexit ministers David Davis and Liam Fox, who have long advocated a complete break away from the 28-nation bloc and its multilateral institutions.

Remainers fear leaving the single market will inflict serious damage to the economy and personal finances of working-class people nationwide. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: “This speech could have been written by Peter Bone, delivered by Nigel Farage and will no doubt be cheered on by Jeremy Corbyn.

“You can call this Brexit clean, red, white and blue, or whatever you want. But this doesn’t disguise the fact that it will be a destructive, Hard Brexit and the consequences will be felt by millions of people through higher prices, greater instability and rising fuel costs.”

A YouGov poll published this week found that controlling EU immigration to the UK was more important to Brits than remaining a member of the single market, suggesting that although unpopular with numerous pro-Remain MPs, May’s “hard” approach to leaving the EU is in step with the desires of the general public.

The prime minister confirmed that Britain will be abandoning the single market in the same venue that former Tory premier Margaret Thatcher delivered a speech endorsing the values of the same free-trade area 28 years ago.

May dismissed the possibility of Britain adopting an existing model — like the Norway-style model — as its Brexit strategy. “We do not seek to adopt a model already enjoyed by other countries. We do not seek to hold on to bits of membership as we leave,” she said.

She also said that “preserving” the United Kingdom will be a priority as Britain enters exit negotiations with the EU. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has threatened to call a second independence referendum if Scotland’s demands for a unique relationship with the 28-nation bloc aren’t met.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule later this month that May must secure parliamentary approval before invoking Article 50 and initiating Britain’s departure from the EU. This means that MPs who oppose the PM’s plans to remove the country from the single market will have an opportunity to try and block Brexit getting underway.

This is a developing story…

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Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. </s> Britain will leave the EU’s single market when it exits the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday, putting an end to speculation that London might try to seek a “soft Brexit”. In a long-awaited speech in which she sought to define the country’s future as a global player that aims to trade freely far beyond Europe, May said the final exit deal would be put to parliament for a vote.

That promise helped revive the pound on currency markets. Sterling, which has traded at the lowest levels against the U.S. dollar for more than three decades, rose during May’s speech hitting a day high.

May said she would seek an equal partnership with the EU but that she would not adopt models already used by other countries that have free trade agreements with the bloc.

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Her statement that Britain would leave the single market was by far the clearest indication she has ever given of her plans for the future, after months of criticism that she was not being sufficiently transparent.

“I want to be clear: What I am proposing cannot mean membership of the single market,” May told an audience of foreign diplomats and Britain’s own Brexit negotiating team at a mansion house in London.

“Instead we seek the greatest possible access to it though a new comprehensive, bold and ambitious free trade agreement. That agreement may take in elements of current single market arrangements in certain areas,” May said.

Her announcement that she will put the final Brexit deal to a vote in both houses of parliament comes ahead of a court decision on whether she has the power to start the process of withdrawing without parliamentary approval.

She has said she plans to launch the two-year exit negotiation process by the end of March.

Britons’ vote to leave the bloc has opened a huge number of questions about immigration, the future rights of the many EU citizens already living in the United Kingdom, whether exporters will keep tariff-free access to the single European market and British-based banks will be able to serve continental clients.

The Brexit talks, expected to be one of the most complicated negotiations in post-World War Two European history, could decide the fate of her premiership, the United Kingdom and the future shape of the European Union that Britain leaves behind.

May’s speech comes as Northern Ireland, the part of the UK most exposed to Brexit due to its land border with the Irish Republic, faces a lengthy period of political paralysis after the collapse of its power-sharing government.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has said that Brexit will turn out to be a great thing and the other countries would follow Britain out of the European Union. He promised to strike a swift bilateral trade deal with the United Kingdom. </s> A demonstrator wearing a mask depicting Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May protests against the UK's triggering of Article 50, outside the Houses of Parliament in central London yesterday. Pic/AFP

London: British Prime Minister Theresa May filed formal Brexit divorce papers yesterday, pitching the UK into the unknown and triggering years of uncertain negotiations that will test the cohesion of the European Union.

Nine months after Britons voted to leave, May notified EU Council President Donald Tusk through a hand-delivered letter that the UK is quitting the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty.



The front pages of UK daily newspapers reporting on the Brexit launch. Pic/AFP

The PM, an initial opponent of Brexit who won the top job in the political turmoil that followed the referendum vote, now has two years to settle the terms of the divorce before it comes into effect in late March 2019.

"The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union," May told lawmakers in the British Parliament. "This is a historic moment from which there can be no turning back."

May has one of the toughest jobs of any recent British PM: holding Britain together in the face of renewed Scottish independence demands, while conducting arduous talks with 27 other EU states on finance, trade, security and other complex issues.

For the EU, already reeling from successive crises over debt and refugees, the loss of Britain is the biggest blow yet to 60 years of efforts to forge European unity in the wake of two devastating world wars. Its leaders say they do not want to punish Britain. But with nationalist, anti-EU parties on the rise across Europe, they cannot afford to give London generous terms that might encourage other member states to break away.

Donald Tusk, European Council President

'We already miss you. Thank you and goodbye.'

Sigmar Gabriel, Foreign Minister, Germany

'The negotiations will surely not be easy for either side. Bad feelings are understandable. But this can't be the basis for defining our future relationship.'

Ford Motor Company, US carmaker 

'Any deal must include securing tariff-free trade with the wider Customs Union and not just the EU27, whilst retaining access to the best talent and resources.' </s> In a Brexit divorce deal offering, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday said European Union citizens would be allowed to stay in the United Kingdom after the country leaves the EU.

"The UK's position represents a fair and serious offer,'' May said at a working dinner in Brussels, Belgium. "One aimed at giving as much certainty as possible to citizens who have settled in the UK, building careers and lives and contributing so much to our society.''

May and other European officials are meeting in Brussels to begin negotiations for a UK exit.

In July 2016, the UK voted in a hotly contested referendum that exposed deep division across the country to leave the EU.

Earlier this year, the UK government formally served divorce papers on the EU, marking the beginning of the end of a relationship that has endured for 44 years. May confirmed then that UK had triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, beginning the legal process that must end in two years time with Britain leaving the EU. </s> Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal notification of the United Kingdom’s intention to leave the European Union, on March 29, a spokesman for the British leader said on Monday.

The United Kingdom has informed European Council President Donald Tusk’s office of May’s intention, the spokesman said.

More to come. </s> Britain will pull out of the single market when it leaves the European Union, Theresa May said today - finally ending months of uncertainty and confusion.

In her landmark Brexit speech, the Prime Minister said the deal she would be pursuing when the negotiations get underway "cannot mean membership of single market".

She pointed to the EU's demand that all members comply with ‘four freedoms’ – including, crucially, freedom of movement of EU citizens.

Follow our live blog from Theresa May's key speech on Brexit

It would also mean “complying with EU rules and regulations that implement those freedoms without having a vote on what those rules and regulations are," Ms May told her audience at London's Lancaster House.

The Prime Minister said single market membership would also mean the European Court of Justice having “direct legal authority in our country”.

In her most significant comments on her Brexit strategy yet, she said: “What I am proposing cannot mean membership of the single market.”

She added: "It would, to all intents and purposes, mean not leaving the EU at all”.

Ms May claimed that “both sides” in the referendum debate had “made clear” that a ‘No’ vote would mean leaving the single market.

She said her aim would be the “greatest possible access” to EU markets through a “comprehensive free trade agreement” – although, critics say, that could take many years to achieve.

Britain would continue to pay into the EU budget for “specific EU programmes” of its choosing, adding: “The days of making vast contributions to the EU every year will end”. </s> LONDON (AP) - The Latest on Brexit and Britain's political crisis (all times local):

French President Emmanuel Macron has praised Theresa May's "courageous work" on Brexit after the British prime minister announced her resignation.

"It's too soon to speculate on the consequences of this decision", Macron said, according to a statement from the French presidency. "France is ready to work with the new British prime minister on all European and bilateral issues."

Macron sent May a personal message of support and appreciation, the statement said.

As European parliament elections are being held in the bloc until Sunday, Macron said "this must also remind us, at a time of important choice, that rejection votes with no alternative project lead to an impasse."

The pound and British stocks are rising after Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation, as some investors appear to hope it could unblock the political stalemate over Brexit, though analysts warn it could simply mean another delay to the EU departure.

The Conservative Party will tap a new prime minister after May leaves on June 7 and it is more likely that the next leader will be more in favor of Brexit. However, experts say a "no-deal" Brexit - in which Britain leaves the EU without a deal on new trade relations, causing havoc for business - remains unlikely as lawmakers remain divided over how to proceed.

Samuel Tombs, chief U.K. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, notes that "changing the leader won't alter the maths in parliament."

Tombs expects Britain will remain stuck in political stalemate for at least another year, requiring an extension to its Oct. 31 Brexit deadline.

The pound was up to $1.2715 on Friday from $1.2660 before May's announcement. The FTSE 100 stock index was up 0.6%.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker says that he considers British Prime Minister Theresa May as "a woman of courage for whom he has great respect."

European Union spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said that Juncker watched May's announcement that she will step down as Conservative Party leader on June 7 "with emotion" and added it was "without personal joy."

She said Juncker will "equally respect and establish working relations" with May's successor. Britain currently faces an Oct. 31 deadline to leave the EU.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has noted "with respect" the decision of British Prime Minister Theresa May to step down, and will continue to work closely with her successor for an orderly Brexit.

Merkel's spokeswoman, Martina Fietz, told reporters Friday that the chancellor and May always "worked together in a good and trusting" relationship and would continue to do so while May remains in office.

Looking ahead, Fietz says, "we, and the EU as a whole, are interested in a good solution being found in Britain" to the Brexit issue, and that means "an orderly exit."

The German government would not speculate on May's possible successor.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's departure speech is drawing praise from fellow Conservative Party members, including some who had criticized her Brexit stance.

Andrea Leadsom, who resigned as House of Commons Leader on Wednesday to protest May's Brexit plan, tweeted that May's speech was "an illustration of her total commitment to country and duty."

Leadsom, a possible leadership contender, said May "did her utmost" and praised the dignity of the prime minister's speech.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove tweeted his thanks to the prime minister. He called it, "A moving speech from a Prime Minister who deserves our respect and gratitude."

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, a frequent critic of May, says she is worried May's decision will bring "an even more hardline" Brexit-backer to power.

Theresa May says she will step down as U.K. Conservative Party leader on June 7, sparking a contest to become Britain's next prime minister.

She will stay as caretaker prime minister until the new leader is chosen, a process likely to take several weeks.

May has bowed to relentless pressure from her party to quit over her failure to take Britain out of the European Union on schedule.

Her departure will trigger a party leadership contest in which any Conservative lawmaker can run. The early front-runner is Boris Johnson, a former foreign secretary and strong champion of Brexit.

Britain is currently due to leave the EU on Oct. 31, but Parliament has yet to approve divorce terms.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is meeting a leader of her Conservative lawmakers amid mounting speculation that she is about to announce her departure date.

The party's key backbench committee has set a showdown meeting Friday for May to agree to leave soon or face a leadership challenge.

Pressure on May to quit over her failure to get Parliament's approval for a European Union divorce deal reached critical point this week as a senior minister quit and several Cabinet colleagues expressed doubts about her Brexit bill.

Several British media outlets reported that May would agree to give up the prime minister's post June 10, sparking a Conservative leadership contest.

She could stay in office as a caretaker prime minister for several weeks until party lawmakers and members choose a successor. </s> Britain will leave the European single market when it quits the European Union, Theresa May has said.

Mrs May said that her plans for Brexit cannot allow continued membership of the single market, which would require free movement of people and accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

Instead, she said that she will seek "the greatest possible access to the single market on a reciprocal basis, through a comprehensive trade agreement".

Mrs May said that she wanted to remain part of a customs agreement with the remaining 27 EU states, but said she had an "open mind" over whether this would be through associate membership of the Customs Union or through some other arrangement.

Her announcement came in a high-profile speech in London setting out her objectives for post-Brexit Britain.

She also revealed that t he final Brexit deal reached between the UK and European Union will be put to a vote of both Houses of Parliament.

Mrs May did not make clear whether a vote against the agreement would result in the UK remaining in the EU or in Britain crashing out of the 28-nation bloc without a deal.

Speaking at Lancaster House, Mrs May said: "When it comes to Parliament, there is one ... way in which I would like to provide certainty. I can confirm today that the Government will put the final deal that is agreed between the UK and the EU to a vote in both Houses of Parliament before it comes into force."

Under Article 50 of the EU treaties, Britain will have two years to negotiate a deal after it informs the European Council of its intention to quit - something which Mrs May has said she will do by the end of March.

Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier has suggested that an agreement must be concluded by October 2018 to allow time for ratification before Britain leaves in March 2019, meaning that the Commons and Lords votes are likely to come during that six-month period.

Mrs May said that Britain will maintain "practical arrangements on law enforcement and the sharing of intelligence material" with its former EU partners, as well as continuing to work as closely with European allies on foreign and defence policy as it now does with the EU.

Mrs May said the UK would regain control of its borders.

"We will get control of the number of people coming to Britain from the EU. Because, while controlled immigration can bring great benefits, filling skill shortages, delivering public services, making British businesses the world beaters they often are, when the numbers get too high, public support in the system falters."

The PM said Britain would no longer be under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice after Brexit. And Mrs May stated she would work to maintain the common travel area with the Republic of Ireland.

Mrs May said remaining in the single market would mean "to all intents and purposes" not leaving the EU.

"As a priority we will pursue a bold and ambitious free trade agreement with the EU.

"This agreement should allow for the freest possible trade in goods and services between Britain and the EU's member states.

"It should give British companies the maximum possible freedom to trade with and operate within European markets and let European businesses do the same in Britain.

"But I want to be clear: what I am proposing cannot mean membership of the single market."

European leaders had stressed that single market membership meant accepting free movement of goods, services and people.

Being out of the EU but remaining in the single market would also mean being bound by the rules and regulations without having a say in how they are drawn up.

"It would, to all intents and purposes mean not leaving the EU at all," she said.

"That is why both sides in the referendum campaign made it clear that a vote to leave the EU would be a vote to leave the single market."

Mrs May said the UK would seek the "greatest possible access" to the single market through a "new, comprehensive, bold and ambitious free trade agreement".

The deal could take in elements of single market arrangements in areas such as the automotive industry or financial services, she said.

"An important part of the new strategic partnership we seek with the EU will be the pursuit of the greatest possible access to the single market on a fully reciprocal basis through a comprehensive free trade agreement," she said.

The Prime Minister added that leaving the single market would mean no longer having to pay "huge sums" to the EU budget - but the UK could continue to pay to participate in some programmes.

Mrs May repeated her desire to reach an early deal on the status of British citizens in the EU and those from the continent living in Britain.

She also vowed to ensure workers' rights are "fully protected and maintained".

Mrs May warned the EU against trying to "punish" the UK as a warning to others who might seek to leave the bloc.

She said seeking a punitive Brexit deal with the UK would be "an act of calamitous self-harm", adding that "no deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain".

Mrs May said she did not want a long transitional period to move towards Britain's new relationship with the EU.

But she said that once a deal is agreed, it will be implemented with a "phased approach, delivering a smooth and orderly Brexit".

She said: "We will seek to avoid a disruptive cliff edge and we will do everything we can to phase in the new arrangements we require as Britain and the EU move towards our new partnership."

Listing her key objectives for the Brexit negotiations, Mrs May said: "These are the objectives we have set:

"Certainty wherever possible. Control of our own laws. Strengthening the United Kingdom.

"Maintaining the common travel area with Ireland. Control of immigration. Rights for EU nationals in Britain and British nationals in the EU. Enhancing rights for workers.

"Free trade with European markets. New trade agreements with other countries. A leading role in science and innovation. Co-operation on crime, terrorism and foreign affairs. And a phased approach, delivering a smooth and orderly Brexit."

And she added: "This is the framework of a deal which will herald a new partnership between the UK and the EU. It is a comprehensive and carefully considered plan that focuses on the ends, not just the means, with its eyes fixed firmly on the future and on the kind of country we will be once we leave."

On the customs union, Mrs May said she wanted a new relationship in order to allow the UK to strike trade deals around the world - and highlighted Donald Trump's comments on a possible agreement with the UK.

"Countries including China, Brazil and the Gulf states have already expressed interest in striking trade deals with us," she said.

"We have started discussions on future trade ties with countries like Australia, New Zealand and India. And President-elect Trump has said that Britain is not at the back of the queue for a trade deal with the United States, the world's biggest economy, but front of the line."

Mrs May said full customs union membership would prevent the UK from striking its own comprehensive trade deals.

"I want Britain to be able to negotiate its own trade agreements but I also want tariff-free trade with Europe, and cross-border trade there to be as frictionless as possible.

"That means I do not want Britain to be part of the common commercial policy and I do not want us to be bound by the common external tariff.

"These are the elements of the customs union that prevent us from striking our own comprehensive trade agreements with other countries. But I do want us to have a customs agreement with the EU."

She said she had an open mind whether that meant a "completely new" agreement, becoming "an associate member of the customs union in some way" or "remaining a signatory to some elements of it".

But she said: "I want to remove as many barriers to trade as possible and I want Britain to be free to establish our own tariff schedules at the World Trade Organisation, meaning we can reach new trade agreements not just with the EU but with old friends and new allies from outside Europe too."

Mrs May insisted that she was "anticipating success" in the Brexit talks, as she believed that the deep connections between Britain and its European neighbours meant that it would be in the EU's interests to strike a favourable deal.

"I do not believe that the EU's leaders will seriously tell German exporters, French farmers, Spanish fishermen, the young unemployed of the eurozone and millions of others that they want to make them poorer just to punish Britain and make a political point," she said.

"For all these reasons, and because of our shared values and the spirit of goodwill that exists on both sides, I am confident that we will follow a better path. I am confident that a positive agreement can be reached.

"It's right that the Government should prepare for every eventuality, but to do so in the knowledge that a constructive and optimistic approach to the negotiations to come is in the best interests of Europe and the best interests of Britain."

Mrs May said she believed that Britain's prospects in the Brexit negotiations were bolstered by "the strength and support of 65 million people willing us to make it happen."

She acknowledged: "After the division and discord, the country is coming together. The referendum was divisive at times and those divisions have taken time to heal."

But she insisted that the strength of Britain's democracy ensured that "when a vote has been held, we all respect the result".

And she claimed that the "overwhelming majority of people - however they voted - want us to get on with it".

The Prime Minister said she did not believe the UK would leave the EU without a trade deal, but if it did, Britain could turn the situation to its advantage.

She said: "Because we would still be able to trade with Europe. We would still be free to strike trade deals across the world. And we would have the freedom to set competitive tax rates, and embrace the policies that would attract the world's best companies and biggest investors to Britain.

"And if we were excluded from accessing the single market, we would be free to change the basis of Britain's economic model. But for the EU, it would mean new barriers to trade with one of the biggest economies in the world."

Mrs May said that the Government's plan for post-Brexit Britain would not only secure a "good deal abroad" but also "a better deal for ordinary working people at home".

She said the Brexit referendum result did not signal a "retreat from the world" but was partly due to British cultural and political history and the inflexibility of the EU in the face of David Cameron's renegotiation.

She said: "It is important to recognise this fact: June 23 was not the moment Britain chose to step back from the world, it was the moment we chose to build a truly global Britain.

"I know that this, and the other reasons Britain took such a decision, is not always well understood among our friends and allies in Europe.

"I know many fear that this might herald the beginning of a greater unravelling of the EU. But let me be clear: I do not want that to happen."

She said the UK's constitutional arrangements meant that the public expect to be able to directly hold those in power to account "and as a result supranational institutions as strong as those created by the European Union sit very uneasily in relation to our political history and way of life".

Mr Cameron's attempt to strike a better deal was a "valiant final attempt to make it work for Britain".

But she added: "The blunt truth, as we know, is that there was not enough flexibility on many important matters for a majority of British voters."

Following Mrs May's speech, Brexit Secretary David Davis will make a statement to MPs in the House of Commons on the Government's plans for leaving the EU.
After much speculation British Prime Minister Theresa May announces that the United Kingdom will be leaving the European Single Market.