UK PM Theresa May Says She Is In Charge In Government

--May Asserts That Range Of Views Are United Around A Single Brexit Vision

By Kieran Williams

     LONDON (MNI) - UK PM Theresa May repeated Tuesday that her goal was to

build a "global Britain for the future" and a "country that works for everyone".

Speaking in a BBC radio interview, May addressed the recent perception of unrest

within the Conservative party, specifically comments by Foreign Secretary Boris

Johnson. She said that "weak leadership is wanting to have a team around you

that is only 'Yes Men', strong leadership is having a team around you of

different voices and those voices come together and form the government

opinion."

In what seemed to be a more impassioned performance than many of her recent

appearances, May said that regarding Brexit, she negotiates leader to leader and

in the official talks, Brexit Secretary David Davis negotiates with European

Commission lead negotiator Michel Barnier around the principles set out in her

speech in Florence in late September.

May also spoke about the "implementation period", stating that it is purely

about practicality and will allow people and businesses confidence that they

have time to adjust to new arrangements. She noted the implementation period

would be around two years and emphasised that while this could mean more than

two years, it would also mean less than two years in some areas. 

     "If we find that there can changes bought in before that period without

disrupting economies, without disrupting business, then we will bring those in

earlier," May said.

Addressing the possibility of no Brexit deal, May said that the UK was not just

a supplicant in these talks, and that this was a negotiation for a new

partnership between the UK and the EU that should be mutually beneficial. 

     May did note, however, that work was being undertaken across government

departments focusing on the possibility of a 'no deal' outcome, and some of the

actions that will be taken will be contained in upcoming bills such as the EU

withdrawal bill and the customs and trade bill.

--MNI London Bureau; +44 203 865 3809; email: kieran.williams@marketnews.com

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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