May warns Cabinet that UK must not stay in the EU ‘through the back door’

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has warned that there will be “no attempts to stay in the EU through the back door”, as she convened her first Cabinet meeting since the summer break.

May started the meeting at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country residence in Buckinghamshire, by telling her colleagues that they would be discussing the next steps towards the UK’s exit from the European project, and the opportunities available as “we forge a new role for the UK in the world”.

“We must continue to be very clear that Brexit means Brexit, that we’re going to make a success of it,” she said. “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.”

Finishing her introduction, May added: “Can I just remind everybody that this really is a very significant moment for the country, as we look ahead to the next steps that we need to take? We have the opportunity to forge a new positive role for the UK in the world, to make sure that we are that government and country that works for everyone – that everyone can share in the country’s prosperity.”

The Cabinet meeting came after May attempted to reassure other European leaders during a series of phone calls. A Downing Street spokesperson said that she had told Finland’s Prime Minister Juha Sipilä and Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg that Britain “would not be turning its back Europe”.

“The prime minister explained that the UK will not trigger article 50 before the end of the year to give the UK and the EU time to prepare for negotiations and to help ensure that the process is as smooth as possible. The PM added that as we embark on those discussions, we should consider what is going to work best for the UK and what is going to work for the European Union, rather than necessarily pursuing an existing model.”