Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that Britain is heading for a ‘hard’ Brexit in a speech delivered today. The PM, who assumed power after David Cameron’s resignation in the wake of the Brexit vote in June, said the UK wouldn't look to models adopted by other European countries like Norway or Switzerland in forging a new relationship with the EU.

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• Keeping business and the public updated on the state of negotiations “wherever we can”
• Transferring existing EU law into UK law
• Putting the final deal before parliament
• Maintaining a softer border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
• Establishing a free trade agreement with the EU
• Continuing cooperation between UK and EU police and security forces
• Immigration controls on EU citizens in the UK (and consequently UK citizens in Europe)
• Protecting and maintaining workers’ rights

Lukewarm reaction to Brexit speech

Despite the elucidation May provided on Tuesday, sections of the German press and the Lib Dems in Britain said the PM’s plans for Brexit still seem “Vague”.

On Tuesday, the NFU  Council welcomed the acknowledgement that access to a reliable workforce from overseas is vital for many British industries. Farming interest groups have been pushing for continued access to labour since last summer’s vote.

With 72% of UK agricultural exports going to the EU - and some sectors even more heavily dependent on EU trade - the Council said it still has concerns after May announced the UK would no longer be part of the single market (though she did pledge to remove “As many barriers to trade as possible”).  

In a statement, the Council said, “We hope the Prime Minister’s ambition can be achieved, but as we know these kind of deals normally take years to conclude and do not cover all products.  If a quick and comprehensive deal cannot be achieved it would be absolutely vital that there are appropriate phased arrangements to avoid a disruptive cliff-edge [and] to allow Britain’s farmers to adapt – especially given that farming is a long term industry where farmers are making decisions now without knowing what a future trading environment will look like.”  

On Tuesday, Len McCluskey, general secretary of the country’s largest trade union, Unite, said May’s “Determination to appease the hard right in her party and Ukip by talking tough on immigration is putting millions of jobs in jeopardy.”

McCluskey said, “Mrs May must not put party before country… Trade unions and others have clearly outlined how concerns over the freedom of movement can be addressed by sensible labour market safeguards without abandoning the single market when we leave the EU.

“I urge Mrs May to listen to the anguish of working class communities, not to add to it. Trading with nations that will not uphold our labour standards is not an acceptable solution – that trade will come with a heavy price tag, certain to be paid in the jobs, rights and wages of working people. The prime minister must pay less heed to the Brexit headbangers around the cabinet table and more to the anxiety felt by working people who believe their jobs are being held hostage by the extreme nationalist wing of her government.”

Speaking yesterday, in response to comments by Chancellor Phillip Hammond, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said the Conservative government appears to be planning to turn post-Brexit Britain into a tax haven. He said, “The mask is starting to slip, and the Tories are now showing what their real plans for the UK leaving the EU will be. They want a Brexit for the rich, using the negotiations as an excuse to impose policies that will benefit a few at the top, paid for at the expense of the rest of us.

"Whether it’s Liam Fox wanting to tear up workplace rights or Philip Hammond doing favours for the Tories’ tax-dodging corporate friends, it’s clear that a Tory Brexit will leave us all worse off.”