As US President Barack Obama prepares to leave office on January 20, here are 10 things his presidency may be remembered for.
Multimedia \u00b7 User Galleries \u00b7 News in Pictures Send us your pictures \u00b7 Send us your stories
London – British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday laid out her Brexit priorities and negotiating aims for the first time during a keynote speech in London.
Here are the key points.
SINGLE MARKET: May spelled out that Britain will have to leave the European Union’s single market in order to restrict immigration from the EU.
\u00ab\u00a0What I am proposing cannot mean membership of the single market,\u00a0\u00bb May said, adding however that she wanted British companies to have \u00ab\u00a0maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets\u00a0\u00bb.
IMMIGRATION: The thorny issue of Britain’s borders will be the keystone of the government’s negotiating policy, with May’s insistence on full control over immigration set to shape strategy across the board.
\u00ab\u00a0Brexit must mean control of the number of people coming from Europe, and that is what we will deliver,\u00a0\u00bb said the prime minister.
PARLIAMENT VOTE: Any break-up deal that the government strikes with the EU must be first be scrutinised by Britain’s parliament and put to a vote, May said in a concession to lawmakers’ demands.
\u00ab\u00a0I can confirm today that the government will put the final deal to a vote in both houses of parliament before it comes into force,\u00a0\u00bb she said.
‘PHASED’ DEAL: The government will have two years to negotiate a deal once May informs the EU by the end of March of Britain’s intention to leave.
May said she did not want a transition that was \u00ab\u00a0some kind of permanent political purgatory\u00a0\u00bb but a gradual introduction of the new agreement in order to avoid a \u00ab\u00a0disruptive cliff edge\u00a0\u00bb for businesses.
\u00ab\u00a0A phased process of implementation, in which both Britain and the EU institutions and member states prepare for the new arrangements that will exist between us, will be in our mutual self interest\u00a0\u00bb.
STRONG EU: May was keen to convince European leaders that the June 23 vote for Brexit was not designed to bring down the bloc, saying it was \u00ab\u00a0overwhelmingly and compellingly in Britain’s national interest that the EU should succeed. \u00a0\u00bb
Of the Brexit vote, she said: \u00ab\u00a0I know many fear that this might herald the beginning of a great unravelling of the EU. But let me be clear. I do not want that to happen\u00a0\u00bb.
EU WARNING: May warned she would not accept any deal to punish Britain, saying it would be an \u00ab\u00a0act of calamitous self-harm\u00a0\u00bb that could trigger a trade war, with Britain slashing taxes to attract business.
\u00ab\u00a0I do not believe that the EU’s leaders will seriously tell German exporters, French farmers, Spanish fishermen, the young unemployed of the eurozone, and millions of others, that they want to make them poorer, just to punish Britain and make a political point,\u00a0\u00bb she said.
\u00ab\u00a0No deal for Britain is better than a bad deal for Britain. \u00a0\u00bb
CUSTOMS UNION: Britain will not be able to remain a full member of the EU’s customs union, which sets uniform tariffs for countries outside the EU trading within the bloc, while striking its own trade deals — a priority for the government.
\u00ab\u00a0I do not want Britain to be part of the common commercial policy and I do not want us to be bound by the common external tariff,\u00a0\u00bb she said.
But May suggested Britain could remain a member if a new customs agreement was agreed.
EU BUDGET: May said Britain would be prepared to make \u00ab\u00a0an appropriate contribution\u00a0\u00bb to the EU budget in return for using some of its services, but stressed \u00ab\u00a0the days of making vast contributions will end\u00a0\u00bb.
24.com encourages commentary submitted via MyNews24. Contributions of 200 words or more will be considered for publication.<\/p>\n

\n

\nSimilarity rank: 6.7\n<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: 4<\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n