"We are ambitious in getting the best possible deal for trading with and operating within the single European market," May said, during Prime Minister's Question Time at the parliament, in response to a question on her government's strategy on Brexit.
May, accused by the Green Party member of parliament Caroline Lucas, of promoting the policy of "having your cake and eating it," stressed that she had already answered the question on single market many times.
On June 23, the United Kingdom chose in a 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 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.