The memo also showed that the UK government expected difficult negotiations with France on conditions regarding the departure from the bloc.
On June 23, the United Kingdom voted on referendum to leave the European Union. UK Prime Minister Theresa May stated that the country would trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017, thus kick-starting withdrawal negotiations. The timing was later reaffirmed despite the High Court ruling in November that the government must seek parliamentary approval before triggering the article.
A number of EU leaders have stated that the United Kingdom will lose its access to the Single Market unless it keeps freedom of movement rules. May, meanwhile, suggested at the Conservative Party conference in early October that the country’s exit from the European Union would be a "hard" rather than "soft" Brexit, meaning that control over immigration would be prioritized over the access to the European Single Market.
