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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jul/20/germany-uk-brexit-theresa-may-angela-merkel-politics-live
The article has changed 21 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 16 | Version 17 |
|---|---|
| Theresa May arrives in Berlin for Brexit talks with Merkel - live | Theresa May arrives in Berlin for Brexit talks with Merkel - live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 6.01pm BST | |
| 18:01 | |
| From the FT’s George Parker. | |
| Q: Are you still committed to cutting net migration below 100,000? | |
| May says she wants net migration down to sustainable levels. That means the tens of thousands, she says. | |
| Q: Are you happy for the UK to wait until next year before triggering article 50? Is there a penalty for the UK if this drags on. | |
| Merkel says EU leaders have to see how the UK envisages leaving. | |
| No one wants this up in the air. | |
| But we all have an interest in this being properly delineated, she says. It is in everyone’s interest for this to be conducted carefully, she says. | |
| And that’s it. I will post a summary soon. | |
| 5.56pm BST | |
| 17:56 | |
| Q: {From a German journalist] Why did you appoint Boris Johnson foreign secretary? | |
| May says she has appointed a team of ministers who will take forward the government’s work. She will be looking forward to building good relations with Germany. The need for positive relations will underpin everything she does and everything her government does. | |
| Q: How do you envisage relations with Johnson? | |
| Merkel says, whoever is foreign secretary, negotiations with the UK involve negotiations with people with a lot of expertise. She says the British people who negotiate are clever. The foreign secretaries have already met. | |
| She says she is confident that Johnson (whom she calls the British foreign secretary) will cooperate with other ministers. | |
| 5.53pm BST | |
| 17:53 | |
| From the BBC’s Laura Kuennsberg. | |
| Q: Will you sacrifice trade to give you control of immigration? | |
| May says it is clear that the Brexit vote showed people wanted controls on immigration. She will deliver on that, she says. But she also wants the right deal on trade. This will be part of her discussions. | |
| Q: Can the UK impose migration controls and still have access to the single market? | |
| Merkel says the UK voted to leave. But we need to find out what relationship it wants, she says. | |
| She says the UK PM will no longer be sitting around the table when the European Council meets. | |
| We have to listen to what the UK wants. | |
| We cannot give an answer to a question that has not been raised yet, she says. | |
| She says May said she wanted to avoid too much disquiet. | |
| She says they will be guided by the principle of friendship. Britain wants a successs. But the other 27 states want a success too. | |
| Q: What do you make of each other? | |
| May says what is important is that we have two women here who have had a constructive discussion, and who get on with the job to deliver the best for their citizens. | |
| Merkel says she agrees. | |
| 5.49pm BST | |
| 17:49 | |
| Merkel implies she does not expect article 50 to be invoked quickly | |
| They are now taking questions. | |
| Q: [From a German journalist] Cherry picking is supposed to be prevented. How will you find a common position on free movement? And how can you stop the negative consequences. | |
| Merkel says Britain has only just got a new government. | |
| It is Great Britain, she says. | |
| She says not all of the UK’s links with the EU will be severed. | |
| She says it is sensible for the UK to think about it negotiating position. | |
| 5.44pm BST | |
| 17:44 | |
| May says she wants “the closest possible” economic relationship with Germany after Brexit | |
| May says she and Merkel believe in trade and want to ensure everyone benefits. | |
| The nature of the relationship will change. | |
| But they both want the “closest possible” economic relationship between our countries. | |
| May says she wants to strengthen international cooperation with Germany on issues like terrorism and migration. | |
| On Brexit, she says she wants a “sensible and orderly” departure. | |
| She says she will not invoke article 50 until the UK’s negotiating position is clear. | |
| She says she thinks the UK can forge strong relationships with EU countries after Brexit. | |
| 5.41pm BST | |
| 17:41 | |
| May says UK is leaving EU, but not walking away from its European friends | |
| Theresa May starts by offering her condolences to those killed in the axe attack. | |
| She thanks Merkel for inviting her (calling her chancellor) and she says this is the first visit to Germany by a UK prime minister since the Brexit vote. | |
| She is clear that Brexit means Brexit. | |
| But we are not walking away from our European friends, she says. | |
| 5.40pm BST | |
| 17:40 | |
| Merkel says the Germans will try to safeguard British interests, as the British will try to safeguard German interests. | |
| 5.39pm BST | |
| 17:39 | |
| Theresa May's press conference with Angela Merkel | |
| The press conference is starting. | |
| Angela Merkel starts. | |
| She is talking about the axe attack in Germany. | |
| She says she is very happy that Theresa May has come to Berlin. This is a sign of our unity, and of our being close to each other. We have started talking to each other. | |
| Despite the decision Britain has made, our countries are close. We have similar values, we are both members of Nato, we will both attend the G20, we are both members of the G7, she says. | |
| She says the UK and Germany worked well together in the EU. And this will be the spirit in the next few months. | |
| She says Brexit negotiations can only start after article 50 has been triggered. | |
| Today we will talk about the general situation. But we will not negotiate. | |
| And we will discuss other issues too. | |
| 5.33pm BST | 5.33pm BST |
| 17:33 | 17:33 |
| Merkel May presser about to start, watch on @bbcnews - not just 1st press Conf of 2 together, new PM's first as well | Merkel May presser about to start, watch on @bbcnews - not just 1st press Conf of 2 together, new PM's first as well |
| Or you can watch on the feed at the top of this blog (although it crashed a moment ago - hopefully temporarily). | Or you can watch on the feed at the top of this blog (although it crashed a moment ago - hopefully temporarily). |
| 5.28pm BST | 5.28pm BST |
| 17:28 | 17:28 |
| There is a live feed of the press conference at the top of this blog. | There is a live feed of the press conference at the top of this blog. |