period in the history of the united kingdom's relationship with the european union the british people have decided to leave the e.u. and to be a global free trading nation able to chart our own way in the world for many this is an exciting time full of promise for others it is a worrying one i look ahead with optimism believing that if we use this moment to change not just our relationship with europe but also the way we do things at home this will be a defining moment in the history of our nation and it is an exciting time for many in europe too the european union is beginning a new chapter in the story of its development just last week president younkers set out his ambitions for the future of the european union there is a vibrant debate going on about the shape of the e.u.'s institutions and the

direction of the union in the years ahead we don't want to stand in the way of that indeed we want to be your strongest friend and partner as the e.u. and the u.k. thrive side by side and that partnership is important for as we look ahead we see shared challenges and opportunities in common here in italy today our two countries are working together to tackle some of the greatest challenges of our time challenges where all too often geography has put italy on the front line as i speak britain's royal navy national crime agency and border force are working alongside their italian partners to save lives in the mediterranean and crack down on the evil traffickers who are exploiting desperate men women and children who seek

a better life. our two countries are also working together in the fight against terrorism from our positions at the forefront of the international coalition against. to our work to disrupt the networks terrorist groups use to finance their operations and recruit to their ranks and earlier this week i was delighted that prime minister gentle loney was able to join president and myself in convening the first ever un summit of government and industry to move further and faster in preventing terrorist use of the internet mass migration and terrorism are the two examples of the challenges to our shared european interests and values that we can only solve in partnership the weakening glos growth of global trade the loss of popular support for the forces of liberalism and free trade that

is driving moves towards protectionism the threat of climate change depleting and degrading the planet we leave for future generations and most recently the outrageous proliferation of nuclear weapons by north korea with the threat to use them here on our own continent we see territorial aggression to the east and from the south threats from instability and civil war terrorism crime and other challenges which respect no borders the only way for us to respond to this vast array of challenges is for like minded nations and peoples to come together and defend the international order that we have worked so hard to create and the values of liberty democracy human rights and the rule of law by which we stand britain has always and will always stand with its friends and

allies in defense of these values. our decision to leave the european union is in no way a repudiation of this long standing commitment we may be leaving the european union but we are not leaving europe our resolve to draw on the full weight of our military intelligence diplomatic and development resources to lead international action with our partners on the issues that affect the security and prosperity of our peoples is unchanged our commitment to the defense and indeed the advance of our shared values is undimmed our determination to defend the stability security and prosperity of our european neighbors and friends remains steadfast and we will do all this as a sovereign nation in which the british people are in control of their decision to

leave the institution of the european union was an expression of that desire a statement about how they want their democracy to work they want more direct control of decisions that affect their daily lives and that means those decisions being made in britain by people directly accountable to them the strength of feeling that the british people have about this need for control and the direct accountability of their politicians is one reason why throughout its membership the united kingdom has never totally felt at home being in the european union and perhaps because of our history and geography the european union never felt to us like an integral part of our national story in the way it does to so many elsewhere in europe. it is a matter of choices the profound pooling of saw frenzy that is

a crucial feature of the european union permits unprecedentedly deep cooperation which brings benefits but it also means that when countries are in the minority they must sometimes accept decisions they do not want even affecting domestic matters with no market implications beyond their borders and when such decisions are taken they can be very hard to change so the british electorate made a choice they chose the power of domestic democratic control over pooling that control strengthening the role of the u.k. parliament and the devolved scottish parliament welsh and northern ireland assembly is in deciding our laurels that is our choice it does not mean that we are no longer a proud member of the family of european nations and it does not mean we are turning our back on europe or worse that we do not wish europe to succeed the succeed the success of the e.u.

is profoundly in our national interest and that of the wider world but having made this choice the question now is whether we the leaders of britain and of the member states and institutions can demonstrate that creativity that innovation that ambition that we need to shape a new partnership to the benefit of all our people i believe we must and i believe we can for while the ukase departure from the e.u. is inevitably a difficult process it is in all of our interests for our negotiations to succeed if we were to fail or be divided the only beneficiaries would be those who reject our values and oppose our interests so i believe that we share a profound sense of responsibility to make this change work smoothly and sensibly. not just for people today but for the next generation who will inherit the world we

leave them the eyes of the world on us but if we can be imaginative and creative about the way we establish this new relationship if we can proceed on the basis of trust in each other i believe we can be optimistic about the future we can build for the united kingdom and for the european union in my speech at lancaster house earlier this year i set out the u.k.'s negotiating objectives those still stand today since that speech and the triggering of article fifty in march the u.k. has published fourteen papers to address the current issues in the talks and set out the building blocks of the relationship we would like to see with the e.u. both as we leave and into the future. we've now conducted three rounds of negotiations and while at times those negotiations have been tough it's clear that thanks to the professionalism and diligence of david davis and michel barnier we

have made concrete progress on many important issues for example we have recognised from the outset there are unique issues to consider when it comes to northern ireland the u.k. government the irish government and the e.u. as a whole have been clear that through the process of our withdrawal we will protect progress made in northern ireland over recent years and the lives and livelihoods that depend on this progress as part of this we and the you have committed to protecting the belfast agreement and the common travel area and looking ahead we have both stated explicitly that we will not accept any physical infrastructure at the border we owe it to the people of northern ireland and indeed to everyone on the island of ireland to see through these commitments. we have also made significant progress on how we look after european nationals living in the u.k.

and british nationals living in the twenty seven member states of the e.u. i know that this whole process has been a cause of great worry and anxiety for them and their loved ones but i want to repeat to the six hundred thousand italians in the u.k. and indeed to all e.u. citizens who have made their lives in our country that we want you to stay we value you and we thank you for your contribution to our national life and it has been and remains one of my first goals in this negotiation to ensure that you can carry on living your lives as before i am clear that the guarantee i am giving on your rights is real and i doubt anyone with real experience of the u.k. would doubt the independence of our courts or of the rigor with which they will up hold people's legal rights but i know there are concerns that over time the rights of e.u. citizens in the u.k. and u.k.

citizens overseas will divert. and i want to incorporate our agreement fully into u.k. law and make sure the u.k. courts can refer directly to it and when there is uncertainty around underlying e.u. law i want the u.k. courts to be able to take into account the judgments of the european court of justice with a view to ensuring consistent interpretation and on this basis i hope our teams can reach for agreement quickly now at the moment the negotiations are focused on the arrangements for the u.k.'s withdrawal from the e.u. but we need to move on to talk about our future relationship of course we recognize that we can't leave the e.u. and have everything stay the same life for us will be different. but what we do want and what we hope that you are european friends want to is to stay as partners who carry on working together for our mutual benefit in short we want to work hand

in hand with the european union rather than as part of the european union that is why in my speech at lancaster house i said that the united kingdom would seek to secure a new deep and special partnership with the european union and this should span both a new economic relationship and a new relationship on security so let me set out what each of these relationships could look like before turning to the question of how we get there that we start with the economic partnership united kingdom is leaving the european union we will no longer be members of its single market or its customs union for we understand that the single markets for freedoms are in divisible for our european friends we recognize that the single market is built on a balance of rights and obligations and we do not pretend that you can have all the benefits of membership of the single market without its obligations. so our task is

to find a new framework that allows for a close economic partnership but holds those rights and obligations in a new and different balance but as we work out together how to do so we don't start with a blank sheet of paper like other external partners negotiating a free trade deal from scratch have done in fact we start from an unprecedented position for we have the same rules and regulations as the e.u. and our e.u. withdrawal bill will ensure they are carried over into our domestic law at the moment we leave the e.u. . so the question for us now in building a new economic partnership is not how we bring our rules and regulations closer together but what we do when one of us wants to make changes now one way of approaching this question is to put forward as stark an unimaginative choice

between two models either something based on european economic area membership or a traditional free trade agreement such as that the e.u. has recently negotiated with canada i don't believe either of these options would be best for the u.k. or best for the european union. european economic area membership would mean the u.k. having to adopt at home automatically and in their entirety new e.u. rules rules over which in future we would have little influence and no vote such a loss of democratic control could not work for the british people i think it would inevitably lead to friction and then a damaging reopening of the nature of our relationship in the near future the very nasty things that anyone on either side of the channel wants as for a canadian style free trade agreement we should recognize that this is the most advanced free trade agreement the e.u. has yet concluded and a breakthrough in trade between canada and the e.u.

but compared with what exists between britain and the e.u. today it would never the less represent such a restriction on our mutual market access that it would benefit neither of our economy is not only that it would start from the false premise that there is no preexisting regulator the relationship between us and president suggests that it could take years to negotiate. we can do so much better than this as i said at lancaster house let us not see merely to adopt a model already enjoyed by other countries instead let us be creative as well as practical in designing an ambitious economic partnership which respects the freedoms and principles of the e.u. and the wishes of the british people and i believe there are good reasons for this level of optimism and ambition first of all the u.k. is the e.u.'s largest trading partner one of the largest economies in the world and

a market of considerable importance for many businesses and jobs across the continent and the e.u. is our largest trading partner so it is in all our interests to find a creative solution and the e.u. has shown in the past that creative arrangements can be agreed in other areas for example it's developed a diverse array of arrangements with neighboring countries outside the e.u. both in economic relations and injustice and home affairs furthermore we share the same set of fundamental beliefs a belief in free trade rigorous and fair competition strong consumer rights and that trying to beat other countries industries by are unfairly subsidizing one's own is a serious mistake so there is no need to impose tariffs where we have none now and i don't think anyone sensible is contemplating this and as we have set out in a future partnership paper when it comes to trade in goods we will do everything we

can to avoid friction at the border but of course the regulator issues are crucial . we share a commitment to high regulator responded it's people in britain do not want shoddy goods shoddy service is a poor environment or exploitive working practices and i can never imagine them thinking those things to be acceptable the government i lead is committed not only to protecting high standards but strengthening them so i'm optimistic about what we can achieve by finding a creative solution to a new economic relationship that can support prosperity for all our peoples now in any trading relationship both sides have to agree on a set of rules which govern how each side behaves so we will need to discuss with our european partners new ways of managing our interdependence and our differences in the context of our shared values that we areas of policy and regulation which

are outside the scope of our trade and economic relations where this should be straightforward will be areas which do affect our economic relations where we and our european friends may have different goals or we share the same goals but want to a cheese and through different means and there will be areas where we want to achieve the same goals in the same ways because it makes sense for our economies and because rights and obligations must be held in balance the decisions we both take would have consequences for the u.k.'s access to european markets and vice versa to make this partnership work because disagreements inevitably arise we will need a strong and appropriate dispute resolution mechanism it is of course vital that any agreement reached its specific terms on the principles on which it is based are interpreted in the same way by the european union and the united kingdom and we want to discuss how we do that this could not mean the european court of justice or

indeed u.k. courts being the arbiter of disputes about the implementation of the agreement between the u.k. and the e.u. however. it wouldn't be right for one party's court to have jurisdiction over the other but i am confident we can find an appropriate mechanism for resolving disputes so this new economic partnership would be comprehensive and ambitious it would be underpinned by high standards and a practical approach to regulation that enables us to continue to work together in bringing shared prosperity to our peoples for generations to come let me turn to the new security relationship that we want to see to keep our people safe and to secure our values and interests i believe it is essential that although the u.k. is leaving the e.u. the quality of our cooperation on security is maintained we believe we should be as

open minded as possible about how we continue to work together on what can be life and death matters our security cooperation is not just vital because our people face the same threats but also because we share a deep historic belief in the same values the values of peace democracy human rights and the rule of law of course there is no preexisting model for cooperation between the e.u. and external partners which replicates the full scale and depth of the collaboration that currently exists between the e.u. and the u.k. on security law enforcement and criminal justice but as the threats we face evolve faster than ever i believe it is vital that we work together to design new dynamic arrangements that go beyond the existing arrangements that the e.u. has in this area and draw on the legal models the e.u.

has previously used to structure cooperation with external partners in other fields such as trade. so we are proposing a bold new strategic agreement that provides a comprehensive framework for future security law enforcement and criminal justice cooperation a treaty between the u.k. and the e.u. this would compliment the extensive and mature bilateral relationships that we already have with european friends to promote our common security our ambition would be to build a model that is underpinned by our shared principles including high standards of data protection and human rights it will be kept sufficiently versatile and dynamic to respond to the ever evolving threats that we face and it would create an ongoing dialogue in which law enforcement and criminal justice priorities can be shared and where appropriate tackled jointly we are also proposing

a far reaching partnership on how we protect europe together from the threats we face in the world today how we work together to promote our shared values and interests abroad where the security spreading the rule of law dealing with emerging threats handling the migration crisis or helping countries out of poverty the united kingdom has outstanding capabilities we have the biggest defense budget in europe and one of the largest development budgets in the world we have a far reaching diplomatic network and world class security intelligence and law enforcement services so what we are offering will be unprecedented in its breath brett taking in cooperation on diplomacy defense and security and development and it will be unprecedented in its depth in terms of the degree of engagement that we would aim to deliver it is our ambition to work as closely as possible together

with the e.u. protecting our people promoting our values and ensuring the future security of our continent. the united kingdom is unconditionally committed to maintaining europe's security and the u.k. will continue to offer aid and assistance to member states that are the victims of armed aggression terrorism and natural or manmade disasters taken as a whole this bold new security partnership will not only reflect our history and the practical benefits of cooperation in tackling shared threats but also demonstrate the u.k.'s genuine commitment to promoting our shared values across the world and to maintaining a secure and prosperous europe that is the partnership i want britain and the european union to have in the future none of its goal should be controversial everything i've said is about creating a long term relationship through which the nations of the european union and the

united kingdom can work together for the mutual benefit of all our people if we adopt this vision of a deep and special partnership the question is then how we get there how we build a bridge from where we are now to where we want to be the united kingdom will cease to be a member of the european union on the twenty ninth of march two thousand and nineteen we will no longer sit at the european council table or in the council of ministers and we will no longer have members of the european parliament our relations with countries outside the e.u. can be developed in new ways including through our own trade negotiations because we will no longer be an e.u. country and we will no longer directly benefit from the e.u. as future trade negotiations but the fact is that at that point neither the u.k. nor the e.u. and its member states will be in a position to implement smoothly many of the details arrangements that will

underpin this new relationship we seek. neither is the e.u. legally able to conclude an agreement with the u.k. is next on or partner while it is itself still part of the european union and such an agreement on the future partnership will require the appropriate legal ratification which would take time it's also the case that people and businesses both in the u.k. and in the e.u. would benefit from a period to adjust to the new arrangements in a smooth and orderly way as i said in my speech at lancaster house a period of implementation would be in our mutual interest and that is why i am proposing that there should be such a period after the u.k. leaves the e.u. clearly people businesses and public services should only have to plan for one set of changes in the relationship between the u.k. and the e.u. so during the implementation period access to one another's markets should continue

on current terms and britain should also continue to take part in existing security measures and i know businesses in particular would welcome the certainty this would provide the framework for this strictly time limited period which can be agreed under article fifty would be the existing structure of the you rules and regulations. how long the period is should be determined simply by how long it will take to prepare and implement the new processes and new systems that will underpin that future partnership for example it will take time to put in place the new immigration system required to retake control of the u.k.'s borders so during the implementation period people will continue to be able to come and live and work in the u.k. but there will be a registration system an essential preparation for the new regime as of today these considerations point to an implementation period of around two years. because i

don't believe that either the e.u. or the british people want the u.k. to stay in longer in the existing structures than is necessary we could also agree to bring forward aspects of that future framework such as new dispute resolution mechanisms more quickly if this can be done smoothly it is clear that what would be most helpful to people and businesses on both sides who want this process to be smooth and orderly is for us to agree the detailed arrangements for this implementation period as early as possible although we recognise that the e.u. institutions will need to adopt a formal position and at the heart of these arrangements there should be a clear double knock a guarantee that the will be a period of implementation giving businesses and people alike the certainty that they will be able to prepare for the change and a guarantee that this implementation period will be time limited giving everyone

the certainty that this will not go on for ever these arrangements will create valuable certainty but in this context i am conscious that our departure causes another type of uncertainty for the remaining member states and their tax payers over the e.u. budget some of the claims made on this issue are exaggerated and unhelpful and we can only resolve this as part of the settlement of all the issues i have been talking about today still i do not want our partners to fear that they will need to pay more or receive less over the remainder of the current budget plan as a result of our decision to leave the u.k. well on our commitments we have made during the period of our membership. and as we move forward we will also want to continue working together in ways that promote the long term economic development of our continent this includes continuing to

take part in those specific policies and programs which are greatly to the u.k. and the use joint advantage such as those that promote science education and culture and those that promote our mutual security and as i set out in my speech at lancaster house in doing so we would want to make an ongoing contribution to cover our fair share of the costs involved when i gave my speech at the beginning of this year i spoke not just about the preparations we were making for a successful negotiation but also about our preparations for our life outside the european union with or without what i hope will be a successful deal and the necessary work continues on all these fronts so that we are able to meet any eventual outcome but as we meet here today in this city of creativity and rebirth let us open our minds to the possible to

a new era of cooperation and partnership between the united kingdom and the european union and to a stronger fairer more prosperous future for us all for that is the prize if we get this negotiation right a sovereign united kingdom and a confident european union both free to chart their own course a new partnership of values and interests a new alliance that can stand strongly together in the world that is the goal towards which we must work in the months ahead as the relationship between britain and europe evolves. however it does so i am clear that britain's future is bright our fundamentals are strong a legal system respected around the world a keen openness to foreign investment and enthusiasm for innovation and ease of doing business some of the best universities and research as you can find anywhere

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