Theresa May says UK will not try to stay in EU ‘by the back door’

British prime minister Theresa May has set her face firmly against a second referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union, telling cabinet colleagues on Wednesday that "Brexit means Brexit" and there will be no attempt to stay in the EU "by the back door".

Ms May was speaking at her country retreat Chequers as her cabinet met for the first time after the summer break.

As work continues on preparations for the UK’s withdrawal negotiations, each cabinet member has been told to use the meeting to set out what opportunities leaving the EU presents for their department.

Speaking at the start of the all-day meeting, Ms May said: “We’ll be looking at the next steps that we need to take, and we’ll also be looking at the opportunities that are now open to us as we forge a new role for the UK in the world.

“We must continue to be very clear that ‘Brexit means Brexit’, that we’re going to make a success of it. That means there’s no second referendum; no attempts to sort of stay in the EU by the back door; that we’re actually going to deliver on this.”

– PA