Theresa May on diplomatic tour around eastern Europe

Theresa May has called for a "bespoke" arrangement between Britain and the European Union when it leaves the bloc, as the British prime minister continued her EU diplomatic offensive in eastern Europe yesterday.

Speaking in Bratislava with her Slovakian counterpart, Robert Fico, Mrs May refused to be drawn on the specific deal that could be done for Britain, amid suggestions from some of her cabinet that Britain could leave the EU customs union.

“We should be driven by what is in the best interests of the UK and what is going to work for the European Union, not by the models that already exist,” Mrs May said in a news conference before flying to Warsaw for talks.

“We need to find a solution that addresses the concerns of the British people about free movement while getting the best possible deal on trade in goods and services,” she said.

Diplomatic challenge

Mrs May visited

Slovakia

and

Poland

yesterday, the latest phase in a series of diplomatic visits since her appointment two weeks ago.

Her visits to the east European countries represented arguably her greatest diplomatic challenge yet, given that they are the main source of migration into Britain, a decade- long trend the UK wants to curb as part of its EU exit.

Some 850,000 Polish nationals live in Britain. Mrs May has so far failed to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living there, arguing that the status of British nationals living elsewhere in the EU must also be clarified.

In Slovakia, Mr Fico raised the migration question at a press conference alongside Mrs May, confirming that he had urged her to consider the rights of Slovaks currently living in Britain.

The perception of migration held by the British was “slightly different to how we perceive migration on the continent,” he said. “For them, the issue of migration is especially the issue of migrant workers from the EU in the UK.”

Odds with commission

The outspoken prime minister, who has been at odds with the

European Commission

over his opposition to the EU’s refugee relocation plan, also alluded to the challenges facing the EU.

“We simply have to offer a new vision to our people,” he said. “Otherwise we will see a further fragmentation and destabilisation of European political systems.”

Meanwhile, British foreign secretary Boris Johnson was in Paris for talks with his counterpart, Jean-Mark Ayrault, his second meeting with the French foreign minister who famously accused Mr Johnson of lying to the British people over the referendum.

At a short press conference following a two-hour lunch, Mr Ayrault struck a cordial tone, complimenting Mr Johnson on his command of the French language.