British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised EU officials that she would be "a bloody difficult woman" in divorce talks, after being criticised for underestimating the complexity of Brexit talks and having "illusions" over a deal.
Campaigning for next month's election, Mrs May warned voters that the 27 other EU countries were determined to win a divorce deal that "works for them", saying Britain must unite behind her to strengthen her hand.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised EU officials that she would be "a bloody difficult woman" in divorce talks #Brexit pic.twitter.com/IbYxHsgybk
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) May 2, 2017
"These negotiations will not be easy. There are 27 European member states united in their determination to get the deal that works for them.
"We must show the same unity of purpose here at home to ensure that we get a deal that works in our national interests, too."
After meeting Mrs May at her Downing Street residence last Wednesday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was reported to have said he was "ten times more sceptical than I was before" about the possibility of sealing a deal.
Mrs May has dismissed the report as "Brussels gossip" and, in an interview with the BBC, suggested she would not be a pushover.
"During the Conservative Party leadership campaign I was described by one of my colleagues as a 'bloody difficult woman'. And I said at the time the next person to find that out will be Jean-Claude Juncker," she said.
Today, the Irish Government published its strategy for the Brexit negotiations.
Final Brexit deal should be put to a referendum - Clegg
Former deputy British prime minister Nick Clegg has said that Brexit will hit living standards for millions of people and put a £59 billion dent in the public finances.
He also said the final deal with Brussels should be put to a referendum on whether to accept it or reverse Brexit - and the Liberal Democrats would campaign to keep the UK in the European Union.
Mr Clegg, who is the Lib Dem Brexit spokesperson, accused the Conservatives of "hurting the very people who need most help" as the typical household will be £500 worse off this year than in 2016, according to analysis from the Centre for Economics and Business Research.
He said the collapse in the value of sterling was increasing household bills and prices in shops and would be sharply felt by British holidaymakers travelling abroad.
The economic slowdown expected from the Brexit vote had not yet materialised, but Mr Clegg said that was because the UK was still in the EU and the "long-term impacts won't start to be felt until 2019 at the earliest".
Mrs May, who was appointed shortly after Britain voted to leave the EU last year, has stuck to her policy of revealing little about her negotiating hand before the talks start - most likely after the election.
She has been criticised by opposition politicians of being "highhanded" in the run up to the talks, potentially poisoning the atmosphere as battle lines are drawn.
With her party still commanding a large lead in the polls despite some gains by the main opposition Labour Party, Mrs May again warned voters that any vote for other parties would lead to a "coalition of chaos" that could hurt the EU talks.
"Every vote for me and my local team in this election will be a vote to demonstrate that unity of purpose, to strengthen my negotiating position, and to help me secure the best possible deal," she wrote.
"The opposition parties are lining up to prop up [Labour leader] Jeremy Corbyn and disrupt our Brexit negotiation, a recipe for years of drift and division at this crucial time."
