As prime minister prioritises control of immigration and withdrawal from EU law, MPs press for deal that would keep UK in single market

Theresa May insisted that controlling immigration and withdrawing from the jurisdiction of the European court of justice would be her priorities during EU exit negotiations, the strongest indication yet that she will lean towards a hard Brexit.

On the first day of the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, the prime minister pledged to trigger article 50 before the end of March and used her opening speech to spell out that greater border controls would trump any attempt to remain a member of the single market.

Her remarks immediately triggered a pointed response from the president of the European council, Donald Tusk, who tweeted his appreciation of May’s announcement about the timing of the start of the exit talks while warning that the rest of the EU was ready to “safeguard its interests” in the talks to come.

Theresa May aims to set Brexit aside at Tory conference Read more

May said: “I want [the deal] to give British companies the maximum freedom to trade and operate in the single market – and let European businesses do the same here.”

She admitted that the negotiations would require some “give and take”, adding: “But let me be clear, we are not leaving the European Union only to give up control of immigration again and we are not leaving only to return to the jurisdiction of the European court of justice” – a move that has placed her on a collision course with pro-EU backbenchers.

May laid out plans for a “great repeal bill”, under which four decades of EU legislation would become part of British law and could then be unpicked. However, she insisted that workers’ rights would be guaranteed in law while she was prime minister, although the government would not list any examples of such legislation.



Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) PM May's declaration brings welcome clarity on start of Brexit talks. Once Art. 50's triggered, EU27 will engage to safeguard its interests

There was a positive reaction in Germany and Italy to a clear timetable. European leaders including the EU commission head, Jean-Claude Juncker, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, have said publicly that Britain must be allowed time to prepare its position.

Hey-ho, hey-ho, Snow White's conference dwarves get to work | John Crace Read more

But, in private talks with the prime minister, all have pushed hard for a clearer idea of plans, particularly because of the need for the UK to complete Brexit before the next elections to the European parliament in 2019.

Joseph Muscat, the prime minister of Malta, which will be holding the rotating EU presidency when article 50 is triggered, tweeted that his administration was “geared to handle” the process.



But in another blunt reminder that any attempt by Britain to push for single market privileges while curbing EU immigration was unlikely to succeed, Muscat added that while Malta would be “honest brokers for fair deal”, the four single market freedoms – including movement – “cannot be decoupled”.

Joseph Muscat (@JosephMuscat_JM) #Malta #EU Presidency geared to handle Art50 trigger by @theresa_may. Will be honest brokers for fair deal. 4freedoms cannot be decoupled-JM

May herself attempted to dismiss the term “hard Brexit” on Sunday, alongside that of “soft Brexit”, arguing that they represented a false dichotomy – although it is widely believed that the more the UK insists on immigration control, the more likely EU leaders are to close access to the single market.

Hitting back at those who have argued that parliament should have a say before the process begins, May warned that the public had backed Brexit with “emphatic clarity”.

“So now it is up to the government not to question, quibble or backslide on what we have been instructed to do, but to get on with the job,” she said, “because those people who argue that article 50 can only be triggered after agreement in both Houses of Parliament are not standing up for democracy, they’re trying to subvert it. They’re not trying to get Brexit right; they’re trying to kill it by delaying it. They are insulting the intelligence of the British people.”

Referring to a high court challenge, being heard next week, which questions the government’s right to fire the Brexit starting gun without parliamentary approval, May said the attorney general, Jeremy Wright, would resist the efforts.



But she has placed herself at loggerheads with a number of Conservative backbenchers who want the government to pursue a soft Brexit and think there should be a vote prior to article 50.

The Guardian view on the Tories and Brexit: May still does not know her goal | Editorial Read more

Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general, told the Guardian that he believed strongly that parliament ought to have such a role. He admitted that MPs could not disregard the “advisory” vote but said: “The danger of such an approach is if you undermine the convention in this way you set a very bad precedent. Government is embarking on a difficult and extensive exercise and to do it without the support of parliament is a mistaken approach.”

Anna Soubry, the former Tory business minister, argued that May should be wary of being “gung-ho” on article 50 and said the EU held “most of the cards in negotiations”. She said Britain should be pressing for a deal that keeps the country in the single market.

Within May’s cabinet there are splits, with sources suggesting Philip Hammond, the chancellor, is pushing for the best economic deal with the EU, having told the Telegraph that he believed the “implicit” message from the referendum was the need to protect the country’s economy.

Speaking after May at the conference, the secretary of state for Brexit, David Davis, stressed “the clear message from the referendum is this: we must be able to control immigration”.



He said this would be balanced as best as possible with trade: “We’re looking at all the options. And we’ll be prepared for any outcome. But it certainly won’t be to anyone’s benefit to see an increase in barriers to trade, in either direction.

“So we want to maintain the freest possible trade between us, without betraying the instruction we have received from the British people to take back control of our own affairs.”

Others supporting Brexit were pleased with May’s intervention. Dominic Raab, the former justice minister, said the prime minister had “put some meat on the bones of the Brexit strategy”, offering greater certainty to business.

Meanwhile, Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform, has published a paper in which he reveals that negotiators in other countries including France and Germany are preparing to stand their ground in Brexit negotiations. They believe freedom of movement is a central part of the single market and are reluctant to make concessions in other areas.

“She is trying to square a circle and none of us know how she plans to do it, but British companies will not be in the single market if she limits immigration and spurns or rejects ECJ rulings,” said Grant.

On repealing EU law and then unpicking parts of legislation, he added: “The more our laws diverge from those of our partners, the less access we will have to the single market.”