London - British prime minister Theresa May today unveiled her bold blueprint for cutting ties with Brussels and warned that if the EU is not flexible it could be 'crushed into tiny pieces'. In an historic speech, the prime minister vowed to take the country out of the European single market. She insisted controlling rampant immigration is a red line - and made clear Britain will no longer tolerate being bossed around by European judges. But in a concession to Europhile MPs and peers after months of bitter rows, she announced that they will be given a vote on the final Brexit deal. The PM's vision delighted Brexiteers but drew howls of outrage from Remainers - who have been frantically trying to limit the impact of the referendum result since last June. It brings to an end months of hedging and stonewalling by ministers, as they hammered out the plan of attack in the looming negotiations with the EU. The premier rejected partial or associate membership in favour of a 'brighter future' outside the Brussels bloc. She said staying in the single market was unacceptable because it would mean keeping free movement and European judges still being able to meddle. 'I want to be clear: what I am proposing cannot mean membership of the single market,' she said.
'European leaders have said many times that membership means accepting the four freedoms of goods, capital, services and people.
'And being out of the EU, but a member of the single market, would mean complying with the EU's rules and regulations that implement those freedoms without having a vote on what those rules and regulations are.' The PM's plan will see Britain regain full control over borders and quit both the single market and European Court of Justice. She insisted the UK can become a great, outward-looking trading nation. But she said she was determined not to sign up to anything that restricts the ability to take back sovereignty from the ECJ or prevents solo trade deals with the rest of the world. In effect, that means quitting the customs union as it stands, and trying to strike a new trade deal which gives Britain the best of both worlds. One option would be to opt back in to some elements of the customs union, but on our own terms. Mrs May damned predecessor David Cameron with faint praise by saying he had made a 'valiant effort' to renegotiate our membership terms. But she said that was the 'final attempt to make it work for Britain'. 'The blunt truth as we know was there was not enough flexibility on many important matters for a majority of British voters,' she said. Laying out her guiding principles once she triggers the two-year article 50 process for leaving the EU in March, Mrs May underlined the need to provide certainty and clarity to business, while delivering a 'stronger, fairer, truly global Britain'. She said the British people voted for Brexit 'with their eyes open'.(FA)
