Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

May praises ‘solidarity’ from EU and US on Russia, and backs her aide in outing row

Theresa May covered a fair bit of ground in her statement to the Commons on last week’s European Council meeting. She talked about how EU leaders were supporting Britain in the stand-off with Russia following the Salisbury attack, on the agreement that leaders reached on the next stage of Brexit negotiations, steel tariffs, and on allegations that her own political secretary Stephen Parkinson outed his former partner as gay.

On Russia, the Prime Minister told the House that ‘I have found great solidarity from our friends and partners in the EU, North America, Nato and beyond over the past three weeks as we have confronted the aftermath of the Salisbury incident’. She revealed that 18 countries, including 15 EU member states, had expelled more than 100 Russian intelligence officers from their countries.

The theme of solidarity and co-operation continued into her feedback on the Brexit talks, saying ‘I believe there is now an opportunity to create a new dynamic in these negotiations.

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