Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at a European Union leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium December 15, 2016. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday that Britain must forge a brand new relationship with the European Union, rather than trying to choose parts of its current membership it would like to keep.

“What we need to say is ‘we’re currently members of the EU, we are going to leave the European Union and we need to negotiate a new relationship with the European Union,’” May told lawmakers.

“It isn’t (about) trying to replicate bits of membership, it’s about saying what is our new relationship.”