WARSAW, Poland (AP) – British Prime Minister Theresa May made brief stops in two eastern members of the European Union on Thursday, stressing that her government seeks to remain engaged with them – and even intensify ties – despite its plans to leave the bloc.
“Britain will remain an outward-looking nation – a strong voice for liberal, free market principles and democratic values,” May said in Bratislava, Slovakia, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
She traveled next to Warsaw, Poland, the largest of the EU’s eastern members. There, she addressed an issue key to Poles and their government – the fate of the 850,000 Poles living in the U.K.
Until Britain actually leaves the EU, she said Poles will see no change to their rights in the U.K. In the future their rights will depend on what form of relationship London manages to negotiate with EU leaders.
“I want and expect to be able to guarantee their rights in the U.K. The only circumstances in which that would not be possible would be if the rights of British citizens living across the EU were not guaranteed,” she said.