Theresa May says ideal Brexit deal does not exist yet and should be one that works for Britain and the European Union
Prime Minister was given the red carpet treatment in Italy as she continued her tour of EU countries
THERESA May is keeping “an open mind” about Britain’s ties with the European Union, saying the ideal Brexit deal might not exist yet.
Visiting Italy today, on her tour of EU countries ahead of talks about Britain leaving the bloc, she was given the red carpet treatment.
After being welcomed at the grand Villa Doria Pamphili with a guard of honour and brass band playing God Save The Queen, Mrs May met with the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Speaking at a press conference after their meeting, she said Britain’s future ties with the EU might not copy any of the existing relationships between non-EU countries and the bloc.
She said: “I'm looking at this with an open mind.
"I think we should be developing the model that suits the United Kingdom and the European Union. Not adopting, necessarily, a model that is on the shelf already.”
Theresa May reviews a military honour guard with Italy's prime minister during a welcoming ceremony ahead of their meeting
Mrs May also said she hoped to be able to address the issue of the rights of EU nationals living in Britain and British citizens living in the EU early on in the Brexit talks.
Mr Renzi said Italy respected the British vote to leave the EU, but said there should be a clear time frame for the exit.
"Italy will do its utmost to collaborate and support the process.
"But it's important to have a vision and precise timeline for the process," he said.
He added it was important for Italy to have strong relations with Britain even after it left the European Union.
Their meeting came as former French government minister and ex-European Commission vice-president Michel Barnier was appointed as the commission's chief negotiator for Brexit.
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Mrs May will follow her meeting with a trip tomorrow to Slovakia and Poland, where she will hold discussions with Prime Ministers Robert Fico and Beata Szydlo.
It follows her talks with the leaders of Germany and France last week and Ireland on Tuesday.
Her first trip as Prime Minister was to Scotland where she met Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh to talk Brexit.
She has also had discussions with Wales’s First Minister Carwyn Jones and Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster.
A Number 10 spokesman said Mrs May wanted an early visit to Italy after becoming PM earlier this month, because of the close relations it has with the UK.
Tomorrow’s trip to eastern Europe may prove more awkward as Slovakia and Poland are among the EU states most insistent on maintaining free movement of labour, and have also voiced concern about the rights of their nationals currently in the UK.
The countries are part of the Visegrad Four group within the EU which has called for the pace of integration to be slowed in the wake of Brexit.
Slovakia currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the European Council and will host a summit of the remaining 27 states in Britain's absence in September to discuss their approach to the UK's planned withdrawal.