Prime Minister Theresa May speaks in the House of Commons Wednesday.
Prime Minister Theresa May speaks in the House of Commons Wednesday.
PA Wire/ZUMA PRESS

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May says her government has a 'bold' Brexit plan

Opposition Labour has said the plan is long overdue

CNN  — 

British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to set out in detail for the first time her government’s plan for leaving the European Union.

May, who has come under fire for failing to set out a vision for Brexit, told parliament Wednesday that the government would produce a white paper that would be scrutinized by lawmakers.

“I set out that bold plan for global Britain last week, and I recognize there is an appetite in this House to see that plan set out in a white paper,” she said a Prime Minister’s Questions in parliament on Wednesday.

“I can confirm to the house that the plan will be set out in a white paper published in this house.”

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech on leaving the European Union at Lancaster House in London, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech on leaving the European Union at Lancaster House in London, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)
Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
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Related video Theresa May's Brexit speech

May’s government had previously argued that revealing details of the plan would jeopardize the country’s position in negotiations with the EU.

But calls for a concrete Brexit plan from May’s government have grown louder since last week when the prime minister gave a speech in which she set out some broad parameters for Brexit.

She made clear for the first time that the country would not seek to remain in the union’s single market and customs union, essentially a free trade area that also allows the free movement of labor.

May told the House of Commons that the white paper would be separate from the bill that would be introduced this week to pave the way for triggering Article 50, the formal process of leaving the EU.

The government was forced to give lawmakers a vote on Article 50 after losing a legal challenge at the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 24: A man carries a European Union flag outside the Supreme Court in Parliament Square ahead of the ruling on whether Parliament have the power to begin the Brexit process, on January 24, 2017 in London, England. The judgement will play an important role in how the Government proceeds with it's planned use of the EU's Article 50 exit clause. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 24: A man carries a European Union flag outside the Supreme Court in Parliament Square ahead of the ruling on whether Parliament have the power to begin the Brexit process, on January 24, 2017 in London, England. The judgement will play an important role in how the Government proceeds with it's planned use of the EU's Article 50 exit clause. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Leon Neal/Getty Images

Related article Brexit ruling: UK Supreme Court gives parliament Article 50 vote

But the government brushed off the ruling, saying it was still on track to trigger the article and begin the Brexit process by the end of March.

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour party, criticized the May government for challenging the legal case, saying it had been a waste of 80 days.

“Could we know when this white paper is going to be available to us and why it’s taken so long to get it?” Corbyn asked during the questions session.

“I and this government are focusing on the outcomes,” May responded.

“We’re focusing on a truly global Britain, building a stronger future for this country, the right deal for Britain … out of the European Union,” she said, describing her plan as “bold.”