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‘Brexit’ Talks Will Start by End of March, Theresa May Says ‘Brexit’ Talks Will Start by End of March, Theresa May Says
(about 9 hours later)
BIRMINGHAM, England — Britain’s formal talks on quitting the European Union will begin by the end of March, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday, in an announcement that could mean a British departure from the 28-nation bloc by the spring of 2019. BIRMINGHAM, England — Outlining a timetable for Britain to leave the European Union in the spring of 2019, Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday put immigration at the center of her strategy for withdrawal, suggesting that Britain could be headed for a “hard Brexit,” or clean break, from the bloc.
Speaking ahead of her party’s annual convention, Mrs. May set out a more detailed timeline for initiating exit negotiations that are governed by a two-year deadline unless all members of the bloc agree to prolong them. In a speech at the start of the Conservative Party’s annual convention here, Mrs. May said Britain would formally initiate exit negotiations by the end of March. Those talks will be governed by a two-year deadline unless all members of the bloc agree to prolong them.
Previously, Mrs. May had said only that the talks, under Article 50 of the European Union’s treaty, would not begin before the end of this year. The delay is designed to give the government time to work out its negotiating position. Previously, Mrs. May had said only that the talks, under Article 50 of a European Union treaty, would not begin before the end of this year — a delay designed to buy time for the government to work out its negotiating stance.
But speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Mrs. May said that Article 50 would be set into motion “before the end of March,” while giving little more detail about the type of ties she wants with other European nations after a British withdrawal, known as Brexit. On Sunday, Mrs. May also began to lay down her priorities for a deal on withdrawal, known as Brexit, including the power to control immigration and reject European Union rules that allow people to move and settle across national frontiers.
Following the vote in a British referendum in June to leave the European Union, the government still lacks a clear strategy for Brexit, which is likely to precipitate the biggest change in the country’s relationship with the rest of the world since World War II. “We have voted to leave the European Union and become a fully independent, sovereign country,” Mrs. May said to applause from delegates. “We will do what independent, sovereign countries do. We will decide for ourselves how we control immigration. And we will be free to pass our own laws.”
On Sunday, Mrs. May also announced plans to start the domestic legislative process for Brexit next year by repealing an act of Parliament, the 1972 European Communities Act, that allowed Britain to join the European Union’s predecessor. That position strikes at the heart of the usual trade-off by countries that have unfettered access to Europe’s internal market of about 500 million people, but that also accept the freedom of Europeans to cross frontiers and live and work in any member state.
Although this new legal step would not come into effect until Britain actually left the bloc, it would transfer European legislation — including laws to protect labor rights — into British law. Parliament would then be able to decide at a later point which laws to keep. While Mrs. May said she wanted the “maximum” scope for British companies to trade inside the European Union’s single market, she added that Britain would not accept the right of European Union law to trump national legislation — another pillar of the single market.
Despite Mrs. May’s latest comments, the shape of Britain’s desired new relationship with the European Union remains unclear, amid signs of deep divisions within her cabinet over whether to try to keep close economic ties or to go for a more fundamental break, particularly in order to curb migration from the Continent. Mrs. May also spoke of striking free-trade deals with new partners, suggesting that Britain would leave Europe’s Customs Union, which lays down common tariffs but prevents member states from striking independent arrangements with other countries.
Britain has so far not even said it wants to quit Europe’s Customs Union, which lays down tariff rules but which prevents a country from striking unilateral free trade deals with non-European nations. Her speech left many details unclear and undoubtedly represents a tough opening bid before next year’s talks, which are likely to be complex and fraught with disagreement.
Nevertheless, the stress Mrs. May has given to controlling migration, which proved a significant issue in the June referendum, suggests that the country could be headed into a “hard Brexit” — one that would allow it to curb immigration even if that meant less favorable access to a European single market that currently numbers around 500 million consumers. She argued that the country’s new relationship with the European Union would be unique, and rejected the idea that there was a clear division between a “hard” Brexit and a “soft” one with closer economic ties, although there are signs of deep differences within her cabinet on the issue.
Such a prospect has prompted warnings from manufacturers, including carmakers that fear they may face tariffs, and from financial services companies that worry about their ability to do business across Europe from London. Ideally, Mrs. May would like to regain the ability to curb migration from the Continent while keeping full access to the European Union’s single market.
Last week, Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Nissan, said he would be unable to make investment decisions in Britain unless the government guaranteed compensation for any tariffs that might be imposed after Brexit.
Still, the outcome of June’s referendum was interpreted by many politicians, including Mrs. May, as a rejection of the European Union’s policy in support of the free movement of people, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of people from Southern and Eastern Europe to settle in Britain.
Mrs. May served as home secretary for six years and devoted much of that time to an ultimately ineffective attempt to cut immigration.
Ideally, Britain would like to regain control of the ability to curb migration from Continental Europe while also keeping full access to the European Union’s single market.
In an interview in The Sun published on Saturday, Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, argued that Britain’s policy was “having our cake and eating it.”In an interview in The Sun published on Saturday, Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, argued that Britain’s policy was “having our cake and eating it.”
But a succession of European politicians have made it clear that a trade-off is required from Britain. The European Union aims to guarantee the free movement of goods, capital, services and people across its frontiers, and for many of Europe’s policy makers it would be a betrayal to allow Britain to enjoy the economic benefits while rejecting the free movement of people. Yet across the English Channel, there has been no sign of compromise, and European politicians have made it clear that a trade-off is required from Britain.
In a recent interview with the BBC, the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, said it would be “impossible” to give British people more rights than others outside the European Union. Over all, Mrs. May’s speech suggested that she would emphasize the right to curb immigration even if that meant securing less favorable access to European markets.
The president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, has said that Britain should not be granted any special favors on single-market access and that “any outcome should ensure that all participants are subject to the same rules.” That message has also been echoed by the French and German finance ministers, Michel Sapin and Wolfgang Schäuble. David Davis, the minister responsible for negotiating Brexit, underscored the position that trading arrangements were not the only — or even the most important — part of the British equation.
In Britain, leading supporters of Brexit, including Mr. Johnson and the secretary of state for international trade, Liam Fox, are believed to be pressing for a hard Brexit that would take Britain out of the European single market and Europe’s customs union but give it the power to negotiate its own trade deals. “We want to maintain the freest possible trade between us, without betraying the instruction we have received from the British people to take back control of our own affairs,” Mr. Davis told the convention.
However, the chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, appears to be pressing for the best possible access to the single market, reflecting the views of a number of critical sectors of the economy. Mrs. May insisted in her speech — the first of two to the convention — that Scotland would leave the European Union, too, and had “no opt-out from Brexit.” In the referendum that determined Britain’s exit from the union, the majority of Scots voted to remain.
She also announced plans to start the domestic legislative process for Brexit next year by asking Parliament to repeal the 1972 European Communities Act, which allowed Britain to join the European Union’s predecessor.
Although this new legal step would not come into effect until Britain left the bloc, it would transfer European legislation — including laws to protect labor rights — into British law. Parliament would then be able to decide at a later point which laws to keep.
In a statement, Carolyn Fairbairn, the director general of the nation’s main business lobby group, the Confederation of British Industry, welcomed that development but highlighted the anxieties of many companies.
“With a rapid timetable pointing to an exit from the E.U. in spring 2019, businesses need to know the government’s ambition on the fundamental issues of skills and barrier-free access to E.U. markets as soon as possible,” she said.
“Businesses cannot continue to operate in the dark,” she added, because “the decisions they face today are real and pressing.”
There have been warnings in recent week from manufacturers, including carmakers that fear they may face tariffs, and from financial services companies that worry about their ability to do business across Europe from London.
Carlos Ghosn, the chief executive of Nissan, said last week that he would be unable to make investment decisions in Britain unless the government guaranteed compensation for any tariffs that might be imposed after Brexit.
Still, the outcome of the June referendum was interpreted by many politicians, including Mrs. May, as a rejection of the European Union’s policy of free movement of people, which has allowed hundreds of thousands from Southern and Eastern Europe to settle in Britain.
Mrs. May served as home secretary for six years and devoted much of that time to an ultimately ineffective attempt to cut immigration.
Normally, there would be no high-profile speeches on the opening Sunday of a Conservative convention, but party leaders hope to get the European Union issue out of the way so they can focus on less contentious subjects during the rest of the gathering, which will conclude on Wednesday.
The European Union aims to guarantee the free movement of goods, capital, services and people across its frontiers, and for many of Europe’s policy makers it would be a betrayal to allow Britain to enjoy the economic benefits while rejecting free movement of people.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy said it would be “impossible” to give British people more rights than others outside the European Union.
The president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, has said that Britain should not be granted any special favors on single-market access and that “any outcome should ensure that all participants are subject to the same rules.”