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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Politics
Ashley Cowburn

Brexit - as it happened: Angela Merkel speaks out on Britain's EU withdrawal - 'We deplore it'

Theresa May has held a joint press conference with her German counterpart Angela Merkel as the Prime Minister prepared to deliver a speech on the UK’s “security partnership” with the bloc after Brexit. 

After Ms May met with Ms Merkel at the Chancellery in Berlin, the pair delivered joint statements but the German Chancellor said she is still “curious” about what the UK’s goals from Brexit are. 

During the exchange with journalists Ms Merkel said the German position on Brexit had not changed, adding: “We deplore it.” 

She denied she was “frustrated” with the process, but said: “We very much look forward to Britain again setting out its ideas.

“We would like to initiate those negotiations because we are under a certain amount of time pressure but we also want be very diligent and very careful in working on this which means we will have frequent exchanges of views.”

Speaking at the same presentation, Ms May said she would be “saying something in the coming weeks” about the kind of future economic partnership the UK wanted with the EU, but insisted “it isn’t just a one-way street”.

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