Embattled May vows to fight EU demands amid Brexiteer unrest
The PM rejects the idea of a three-year transition and says she thought "the AG百家乐在线官网 wasn't going to fall in" despite voting Remain.
Wednesday 31 January 2018 22:50, UK
Theresa May has tried to assuage the fears of her Brexiteer MPs on her trip to China, vowing to fight some of the compromises insisted upon by EU negotiator Michel Barnier.
She firmly rejected the idea of secret negotiations for a three-year transition, insisting that she hand on heart believes in Brexit.
Most concretely, the PM rejected Mr Barnier's position that full EU freedom of movement should apply to anyone coming to the UK until the end of the transition period in December 2020.
"I'm clear there's a difference between those people who came prior to us leaving and those who will come when they know the UK is no longer a member of the EU," she told reporters.
It was a matter within the implementation phase that was "for negotiation" she said.
To the suggestion that the EU had "torn up" its agreement from phase one of the talks in December, the PM said: "When we agreed the citizens' rights deal in December, we did so on the basis that people who had come to the UK when we were a member of the EU had set up certain expectations.
"They made a life choice and set up certain expectations and it was right that we have made an agreement that ensured they could continue their life in the way they had wanted to.
"Now for those who come after March 2019, that will be different - because they will be coming to a UK that they know will be outside the EU".
It is one of potentially three areas that the Government will try to negotiate with on the terms of what it calls the implementation period.
The Government also has reservations over the manner in which the UK will retain influence over new EU law applied during this phase.
There may also be some attempt to regain some powers outside the Common Fisheries Policy before the end of 2020.
Mrs May rejected the idea that officials were privately agreeing a longer transition period than "around two years".
She said: "On the length of the implementation period, people were saying, 'oh we're secretly negotiating for three years'. No - we're not."
When asked if this was "an absolute guarantee" that transition would not last beyond the next election, the PM replied: "We're very clear. I said in the Florence speech that we expected it to be around two years because that is what seems to be the right period of time, practically.
"But I'm also very clear we are not talking about something that is going to go on and on. We're leaving the European Union. There is an adjustment period for businesses - and indeed government - for changes that need to be made."
Amid fears from Tory Brexiteers of backsliding on her Lancaster House speech red lines, the PM was also asked if "hand on heart you believe in Brexit".
"Yes," she replied. "At the time of the referendum I voted Remain but I also said the AG百家乐在线官网 wasn't going to fall in if we left the EU - and as people will see from the economic figures, we have seen actually that has indeed proved to be the case".
And in a message for those such as Chancellor Philip Hammond, who last week suggested that the UK-EU economic relationship would change only "very modestly", the PM said of the referendum: "They did not vote for nothing to change."