'Don't Mistake British Politeness For Weakness', Jeremy Hunt Tells Eu theguardian.com

Jeremy Hunt has told leaders of the European Union to not "mistake British politeness for weakness" following the tense Salzburg summit that threatens to sink Theresa May's Chequers proposal.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the foreign secretary followed May's combative address on Friday with some sharp rhetoric of his own. He said: "What Theresa May is saying is: don't mistake British politeness for weakness. If you put us in a difficult corner, we will stand our ground. That's the kind of country we are."

Hunt hit back at the "unreasonableness of the EU position" and stressed the "parody" of the EU, which he says was "set up to promote democracy", telling the UK "it's legally impossible to leave the EU intact as one country". He said the government understands the EU's red lines, but that did not mean the UK was not able to agree to a trading relationship where trade is in effect frictionless. "We've made a democratic decision and this government, Theresa May, is not going to sign up to a deal that is not consistent with the spirit and the letter of the referendum," he said.