May: UK will not wait to take back control of defence and foreign policy
Britain will pull out of a major foreign policy arrangement as soon as possible after Brexit, Theresa May has announced.
The British Prime Minister said the UK would not wait until the end of any implementation period to take back full control over areas like diplomacy, peacekeeping, defence and aid.
Common policy on foreign and security grew out of the Maastricht Treaty so the move is likely to please Brexiteers.
But Mrs May stressed that Britain will continue to work closely with the EU on security and said the UK's commitment to protecting Europe from threats is "unconditional".
Mrs May said: "There is no reason why we should not agree distinct arrangements for our foreign and defence policy co-operation in the time-limited implementation period as the Commission has proposed."
She added: "We shouldn't wait where we don't need to."
