THERESA May has called for a "mature and co-operative" relationship between Britain and the EU as she seeks a "smooth" Brexit, which she said could be in the interests of both sides.
The Prime Minister was speaking at the conclusion of her first European Council summit, at which she was given just five minutes at the end of dinner in the early hours of Friday morning to set out her position on Brexit.
Her demands for Britain to play a full role in the European Union while it quits the bloc sparked anger in Brussels with some senior figures saying it was wrong for the UK to try to shape the future of the EU while it was trying to leave.
In a press conference at the end of the two-day summit, Mrs May said: "I recognise the scale of the challenge ahead. I'm sure there will be difficult moments. It will require some give and take.
"But I firmly believe that if we approach this in a constructive spirit - as I am - then we can deliver a smooth departure and build a powerful new relationship that works both for the UK and for the countries of the EU looking for opportunities, not problems.”
While Mrs May said she wanted to see the completion of the EU trade deal with Canada, it seemed to be on the verge of collapse after the Canadian trade minister walked out.
Chrysta Freeland said talks with the Walloons and EU representatives had failed to make progress and she questioned the bloc's ability to strike any international agreements. “It's impossible,” she declared, adding: “We've decided to return home. I'm really, really sad. Truly."
Meantime, the PM slapped down suggestions that the UK-EU Brexit negotiations would be carried out in French after Michel Barnier, Brussels chief negotiator, supposedly said he wanted the divorce talks to be held in his mother tongue.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel