PM Theresa May warns MPs 'to accept what people decided' on Brexit
The Tory leader says it is "not in our national interest" to force the Government to disclose everything ahead of negotiations.
Sunday 6 November 2016 14:37, UK
Theresa May has fired a warning shot across Parliament's bows over Brexit as she heads off on a trade mission to India.聽
Speaking after the High Court ruled she could not trigger talks to leave the EU without Westminster's approval, the Prime Minister said Remain-supporting MPs and peers "need to accept what the people decided".
She also cautioned against attempts to force the Government to put its "cards on the table" ahead of the EU negotiations, arguing it is "not in our national interest".
The PM said: "While others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the Government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people.
"It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate."
Jeremy Corbyn has said Labour will vote to trigger Brexit, despite setting out a series of red lines for Mrs May.
Amid confusion among the party's MPs about the leader's position, a source close to Mr Corbyn has told Sky News his
The businesswoman behind the successful legal battle against launching Brexit has told Sky News the PM is acting "like she's got her back to the wall and she's frightened".
Gina Miller said: "This case is about parliamentary sovereignty and the Prime Minister not behaving like a dictator, everything she has said since the result of this case is very much like a tin-pot dictator.
"So I do find it quite ironic that she is going ahead with this rhetoric. It's actually not serving anyone."
Meanwhile, interim UKIP leader Nigel Farage has warned there will be disturbances on the streets if Parliament tries to thwart Brexit.
He told the BBC's Andrew Marr show that "political anger the likes of which none of us in our lifetimes have ever witnessed" will emerge if voters feel they are going to be "cheated" over the result of the referendum.
Mrs May's trip to India is her first bilateral visit outside of Europe and the PM said she wants to "seize the opportunities of leaving the European Union".
Mrs May is looking to pave the way for a free trade agreement with India.
She said: "We need to turn our minds to how we get the best outcome for our country.
"That means sticking to our plan and timetable, getting on with the work of developing our negotiating strategy and not putting all our cards on the table - that is not in our national interest and it won't help us get the best deal for Britain."
It is an indication the PM is contemplating the prospect of parliamentary scrutiny ahead of the triggering of Article 50, even though she intends to challenge last week's court judgment.
Bill Esterson, Labour's shadow international trade minister, said: "Theresa May needs to give Indian businesses confidence in the UK economy.
"Foreign investors want certainty and the British Prime Minister should tell her Indian counterpart what her plan is for international trade.
"Otherwise UK-based Indian businesses will look elsewhere for their certainty with damaging consequences for UK jobs and our economy."
More than 30 business representatives will join the Prime Minister on her mission to forge an improved strategic partnership with India.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said the Government is "looking at how we can lay the groundwork before we leave the EU on breaking down existing barriers … so once we have left the EU we would be ready to move as soon as possible to develop that free trade relationship".
Mrs May will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in Delhi and is looking for business opportunities with the world's fastest growing major economy.
There are a million new entrants to the labour market in India every month.
By 2025, Mr Modi will be looking to raise $50bn to spend on new hospitals, $3.6trn investment in new energy and £1trn for core infrastructure.
The UK Government believes there are areas that play to British strengths in terms of the nation's engineering, manufacturing and service skills.
Another area the delegation will be pushing for is more access for the UK's legal profession into the Indian market place.
However, India is expected to demand greater immigration into the UK as part of any post-Brexit trade deal.
When it comes to UK visas, there are already more application points in India than any other country.
The UK also issues more visas to students in India than any other country other than China and the US, and 89% of Indian students who apply for a visa get them.
But India may demand more working visas for its citizens in return for lifting restrictions on trade.
Any further relaxation of immigration rules would be sensitive given the PM is sticking to the Conservatives' pledge to cut net migration below 100,000.