British Prime Minister Theresa May has said divorce talks with the European Union would be difficult, responding to the tough stance taken by EU leaders over the upcoming Brexit negotiations.
EU leaders endorsed stiff divorce terms for Britain yesterday and warned Britons to have "no illusions" about swiftly securing a new relationship to keep their access to EU markets.
Mrs May also hit back at claims reported in the Sunday Times that EU leaders said she was "in a different galaxy" after meetings with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
"What this shows, and what some of the other comments we've seen coming from European leaders shows, is that there are going to be times when these negotiations are going to be tough," she said.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, she also reaffirmed her position that she would be prepared to walk away from the talks on leaving the EU without a deal if she did not like what was on offer from Brussels.
"That's why you need strong and stable leadership in order to conduct those negotiations and get the best deal for Britain."
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Pressed on whether she would commit to paying a divorce bill before Britain leaves the bloc, she said: "The EU has also said that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed."
European Council president Donald Tusk has previously said that reciprocal guarantees, which also provided certainty for British ex-pats living on the continent, were foremost among issues to be addressed.
Mrs May said: "There are things we absolutely agree on should be early in those discussions, the position of EU citizens living here in the UK and the position of UK citizens living in those 27 European countries, absolutely we agree should be in the discussions."
Mrs May also reiterated her insistence that leaving the EU with no deal would be better than taking a "bad deal".
Asked if she still believed it, she told ITV's Peston on Sunday: "Yes I do.
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't believe that.
"But what I also believe is that with the right strong hand in negotiations we can get a good deal for the UK from these negotiations."
Spain says no 'red lines' on Gibraltar in Brexit talks
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said that Spain had no "red lines" on Gibraltar after EU leaders granted Madrid a veto over any future deal with Britain that would involve the territory.
"There are no red lines or lines of any other colour" on Gibraltar, Mr Rajoy said at a news conference after 27 European Union leaders met without Britain to adopt their negotiating position for Brexit talks.
The EU 27 guidelines state that "no agreement" after Brexit between the EU and Britain could apply to Gibraltar without a bilateral agreement between Madrid and London.
Britain has expressed alarm over the clause and British Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted she will "never" allow Gibraltar to slip from British control.
In a statement, Gibraltar's leader Fabian Picardo said the treatment called for in the clause "is discriminatory and unfair" and goes against "the principle of sincere cooperation which the EU is committed to."
Gibraltar, he said, stood "clear and united" against any Spanish government attempts to "advance its stale sovereignty claim" even if the British outcrop will continue seeking dialogue with Spain.
"Our future beyond the EU will be a prosperous and international one in respect of which the Spanish government will have no say or veto," Mr Picardo said.
With a population of just over 32,000, Gibraltar has been a British overseas territory since 1713 but Spain has long laid claim to it.
Some 10,000 people cross from Spain to Gibraltar to work every day.
Authorities in Gibraltar fear Spain is trying to take advantage of Brexit to impose its control over the territory.
One former leader in Mrs May's Conservative party said the dust-up invoked the memory of the Falklands War against Argentina.
Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU in last June's Brexit referendum, but they still appear set on remaining British after the vote.
