PM Theresa May vows she won’t try to keep Britain in EU by ‘back door’

Prime Minister Theresa May vowed she won’t try to keep Britain in the European Union against the wishes of the electorate as her government resumed work on Brexit after a summer break.

“We must continue to be very clear that Brexit means Brexit; that we’re going to make a success of it,” May told ministers on Wednesday, according to remarks e-mailed by her office. “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.”

May faces the thorny task of devising a strategy for pulling the UK out of the 28-nation bloc while minimising the damage to the economy, protecting key industries such as finance and negotiating new trade deals with both the EU and countries further afield, including the US, India and China. At the same time, she’s made it clear her government won’t become consumed by Brexit, focusing also on social reforms.

“We want to be a government and a country that works for everyone, and we’ll be talking about some of the steps that we need to take in order to build that society that works for everyone,” May told ministers at her country residence, Chequers, northwest of London. She said the government will look at how to increase productivity and “get tough on irresponsible behaviour in big business - again making sure that actually everyone is able to share in the country’s prosperity.”

The prime minister has repeatedly said she won’t formally begin Brexit talks by triggering Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty before the end of this year. When she does so, Britain will have two years to negotiate its departure and new terms for its relationship with the remaining member states.