Tomorrow in Florence, Theresa May needs to make the speech of her life. Britain has a strong hand to play in these EU talks and it’s time the Prime Minister showed it.
May must assert once again that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’, shoring up the UK’s bargaining position. She should also insist Britain won’t confirm any ‘divorce bill’ until these Article 50 talks end in March 2019, with the final amount dependent on the goodwill the EU has shown.
Above all, taking her cue from Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister needs to present an inspiring vision of the UK outside the EU. The heyday of Florence was as a free-trading, outward-looking, independent city-state, long before it was absorbed into a unified Italy. Brexit, likewise, is a golden opportunity for Britain to look beyond the EU – boosting trade, innovation and growth.
Despite the constant drumbeat of TV news negativity, the UK holds sway in these Article 50 talks.
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