British PM May to give series of speeches on Brexit vision

British Prime Minister Theresa May is planning to give a major speech to clarify what Britain wants from the EU after and during Brexit.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May hosts a roundtable meeting with senior representative from Japanese companies at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, February 8, 2018.
Reuters

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May hosts a roundtable meeting with senior representative from Japanese companies at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, February 8, 2018.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will make a speech on Brexit in the next three weeks, one of several planned addresses by senior ministers designed to set out the country's path to leaving the European Union, British media reported on Sunday.

Britain is hoping to seal a transition deal next month to smooth its exit from the EU, and agree on a long-term trade agreement later this year. However, Brussels said last week a transition deal was not a certainty and that London needed to clarify what it wanted from the EU.

"The road to Brexit"

May's government will aim to address that in a series of speeches dubbed by her office as "the road to Brexit" and due to be delivered by senior ministers and May in the next few weeks, the BBC reported.

Her speech will set out the security relationship Britain wants with the EU, while others will touch on workers' rights, trade and the devolution of power within Britain, the reports said. 

Foreign minister Boris Johnson, a leading Brexit advocate, will begin the series with a speech on Wednesday, with trade minister Liam Fox and Brexit minister David Davis among those also scheduled to speak, the BBC said.

Finance minister Philip Hammond, seen as the most pro-EU member of May's cabinet, will not give a speech.

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