Theresa May seeking favourable Brexit deal as she sets off on European charm-offensive
THERESA May is launching a European charm-offensive as she takes her appeal for a fair "divorce deal" from the EU to the continent.
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The Prime Minister is visiting Denmark and the Netherlands in the latest leg of her tour to push Britain's case ahead of formal withdrawal negotiations which are expected to be triggered next spring.
Mrs May appears to favour a "hard Brexit" strategy with limited access to the single market with Berlin and Paris insisting the UK cannot expect full interconnection without free movement of workers.
But with the pound suffering on the international money markets last week and the CBI insisting the Government must boost investment by ditching t the "worst aspects" of a hard Brexit, pressure is growing on Mrs May to clarify what kind of post-withdrawal deal she is looking for.
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We're going to be outside the European Union but we still, because it's over 40 per cent of our trade, we still want to maximise our trade with it
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon insisted Britain was going for "full Brexit" outside the EU but still wanted to maintain good trade relations with the bloc.
Sir Michael also called for unity among Cabinet colleagues amid reports of deepening rifts among top Tories over the issue, with Sir Michael saying "we are all Brexiteers now".
He said" "We're going to be outside the European Union but we still, because it's over 40 per cent of our trade, we still want to maximise our trade with it."
Sir Michael said the Government's objectives in Brexit negotiations were to maximise free trade on goods and services, while regaining control of British borders.
CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn deep business concern about the post-referendum drift of government thinking.
She warned an immigration crackdown, which dominated the Tory conference, could “close the door” to the UK remaining an open trading economy.
Ministers have abandoned plans to “name and shame” companies with migrant workers after it provoked a damning backlash, the CBI chief expressed
Ms Fairbairn said businesses were appalled by the idea.
She said: “They regard it as an indication that it is somehow a shameful thing to be attracting the best talent from around the world, rather than a source of pride.”