British PM gathers ministers to hear views on Brexit

Prime Minister Theresa May told her top ministers on Wednesday they must deliver Brexit, and not entertain any idea of staying in the EU by the "back door".

After a summer of political earthquakes followed by a few weeks of holiday calm, May gathered her cabinet team for the first time since she asked them to use the break to come up with options for Britain's future ties with the bloc after a divorce.

For many in the EU, it is not before time. They have given May breathing space to devise a negotiating stance before triggering the exit procedure, but are keen for Britain to begin the talks and end uncertainty that has hurt investment.

"We will have an update on Brexit; we'll be looking at the next steps that we need to take, and we'll also be looking at the opportunities that are now open to us as we forge a new role for the UK in the world," May told her cabinet, according to a statement.

"That means there's no second referendum; no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door; that we're actually going to deliver on this."

May has said she will not trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty to start the exit procedure until next year so she has time to make sure she is winning the best deal for Britain, her spokesman said.

May's aides say the former interior minister will be the ultimate arbiter of what proposals Britain takes to divorce negotiations with the European Union.

She will expect the cabinet to overcome any divisions on whether Britain should leave the EU's single market to ensure control over immigration, or find some kind of a compromise.

BALANCE

May has stacked her three ministries for Brexit, trade and foreign affairs with some of the most active campaigners for Britain to leave the EU.

But she has balanced them by appointing to vital positions lawmakers who campaigned for Britain to remain in the bloc, such as Philip Hammond at the finance ministry, or Treasury.

The Telegraph newspaper reported that the two sides have disagreed over Hammond's view that access to the single market could be maintained "on a sector-by-sector basis", with Britain retaining a favourable status for its big financial sector.

Asked whether that was Hammond's stance, the Treasury declined to comment.

If it was, that would go against so-called Brexit minister David Davis, who heads the new Department for Exiting the European Union, and trade minister Liam Fox. Citing senior government sources, the Telegraph said both believe Britain can only curb migration if the country leaves the single market.

On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande seemed to back up that point, underlining that Britain could not opt in to certain parts of the single market without upholding the EU's four freedoms, including freedom of movement.