May Calls for Security Treaty With EU by End of 2019

British Prime Minister Theresa May called on Saturday for a new security treaty with the European Union that should be up and running next year to ensure military, intelligence and counter-terrorism cooperation after London leaves the bloc.

“The key aspects of our future partnership in this area will already be effective from 2019,” May told top European and US officials at the Munich Security Conference, Reuters reported.

“The partnership that we need to create is one that offers UK and EU way to combine our efforts to greatest effect where this is in our shared interest,” May said.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU’s chief executive, welcomed the idea for what he called a “security alliance” with Britain, adding that the issue should be separated from the rest of the Brexit debate.

Britain’s interior minister last year told the EU it could “take our information with us” if it left the bloc without a deal on security, jeopardizing its membership of agencies such as Europol.

May also ruled out a second vote on the country’s membership of the European Union, saying there was no going back on the result of the June 2016 vote.

 “We are leaving the EU and there is no question of a second referendum or going back and I think that’s important,” May told the conference.

“People in the UK feel very strongly that if we take a decision, then governments should turn not round and say no you got that wrong,” she said when asked if Britain would consider a second referendum.