Theresa May seeks to convince business of a ‘global Britain’
DAVOS, Switzerland — British Prime Minister Theresa May sought to convince business leaders Thursday that the country remains committed to free trade and globalization despite last year’s vote to leave the European Union.
Just two days after indicating that Britain would be leaving the European single market as well as the EU, May told an audience at the World Economic Forum at the Swiss ski resort of Davos that the Brexit vote was not a rejection of “our friends in Europe,” or an attempt to cease co-operation.
Conceding that Britain “must face up to a period of momentous change” and that the road ahead will be “uncertain at times,” May said it was a vote to “take control and make decisions for ourselves” and to become “even more global and internationalist in action and spirit, too.”
As well as seeking to pursue “a bold and ambitious” free trade agreement with the EU, May said Britain is looking to strike trade deals with “old friends” and “new allies.”